Golden State

Warriors

Melton was one of the few players to come off Golden State’s bench and find production. He logged 28 minutes and converted half of his 10 field-goal attempts in that time, leading him to finish as the Warriors’ third-leading scorer on the evening. Melton also rebounded well from the guard position and nearly landed a double-double in the process. For the eighth-year veteran, he played relatively well in his first season back from an ACL tear. He averaged 12.3 points in his 49 regular-season appearances but struggled with his three-point efficiency. Perhaps being another year removed from the injury will pay off for him next season, potentially leading to more fantasy production.

Podziemski did what he could on Friday during his 39 minutes on the floor. He led the Warriors in shot attempts, points, and rebounds, while tying a team-high in made three-pointers. The third-year guard’s zero assists and four turnovers weren’t ideal, but his production elsewhere was some of the best on the team. Podziemski eventually became the full-time starter over the second half of the season and played fairly well in the role. Going into Year 4, he could potentially have some fantasy value, depending on what the roster looks like.

Curry couldn’t quite re-capture the magic of Wednesday’s thrilling 35-point performance. In Friday’s loss, he totaled as many turnovers as made field goals in his 36 minutes, finishing with under 20 points on inefficient shooting. The four-time NBA champion also couldn’t make much of an impact as a passer in this game, as Phoenix did a good job defensively to slow down the entire Golden State offense. Curry finishes his 17th NBA season averaging 26.6 points and 4.7 assists. While his numbers were impressive, he only played in 43 regular-season games, which undoubtedly hurt his fantasy production.

Porziņġis had been upgraded from questionable to available, marking good news for the Warriors. The veteran center posted a 20/5/5/1/2 line against the Clippers in the team’s Play-In Tournament win on Wednesday and will have a good chance to land strong production on Friday.

Post, who last appeared in a game on March 29, remains out for Friday’s Play-In Tournament game. The Warriors went with an eight-man rotation on Wednesday against the Clippers, and that’s likely to remain the case as long as Kristaps Porziņǵis (ankle; questionable) is available.

One day removed from playing 28 minutes in Wednesday’s win over the Clippers, Porziņǵis is on the injury report due to a sore left ankle. If he’s unable to play on Friday, the Warriors may turn to Al Horford, who logged 22 minutes on Wednesday. That would mean more minutes for Gary Payton II as well, even though he does not share a position with Porziņǵis or Horford.

Santos stepped up in a big way for the Warriors during the second half of the season, and that continued into a strong play-in performance for him. He entered the starting lineup when Stephen Curry went down with a knee injury in late January and took full advantage of the opportunity. He ended up signing a three-year, $15 million contract extension with Golden State that may end up looking like a bargain. Santos will continue to be a pivotal piece for the Warriors with the postseason continuing for them on Friday in Phoenix.

Porziņģis entered the postseason having shot below 40 percent in three straight games. However, he was able to post his best field goal percentage as a Warrior in this game, which contributed to them surviving the 9/10 play-in game. They’ll need Porziņģis at his best in Friday’s game against the Suns to have a chance to advance to the playoffs. Porziņģis’ availability has been limited this season, but when he’s been on the floor, his impact has been clear.

Curry came alive late in this game in a way that only he can. He shot 10-of-14 from the floor in the second half and scored 27 points after the break to help bring the Warriors back. He also played 36 minutes, which is the most he has played in a game since December. Curry missed most of the second half of the season with a knee injury, but it didn’t seem to limit him in this game. He’ll need to have another big performance in Phoenix on Friday for the Warriors to advance to the playoffs.

Post missed the season finale against the Clippers and is now set to miss the Play-In Tournament game. The foot injury has kept the second-year center out of the lineup since March 29 against the Nuggets. Without his services, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford should see the bulk of the minutes at center.