De’Anthony Melton scores 25 off the bench in Phoenix after a scoreless opener, and says ‘health is wealth’ for the 0-3 Warriors

De’Anthony Melton came off the bench for 25 points in under 27 minutes on Saturday night as the short-handed Golden State Warriors lost 131-122 to the Phoenix Suns, a breakout three nights after he went scoreless in the season opener.

The jump matters for a Warriors team playing without Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Brandin Podziemski. Melton has gone from 0 points against the Lakers to 10 against the Grizzlies to 25 in Phoenix, and Golden State needs that kind of scoring from its second unit while its regulars are out.

Melton shot 8 of 13 from the field, 4 of 8 from three and 5 of 5 at the line, and added five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Thirteen of his points came in the third quarter, when he went 4 for 4 and scored 11 straight Golden State points on an and-one, a floater and two straight threes. It was the 34th 20-point game of his career, the team said.

Back where it started, with health first

The game came in the city where Melton spent his rookie season in 2018-19. Asked whether it still feels different to play there, he said he thinks about it less than he used to, and that the main link left is a teammate from those days who is still on the Suns roster. He spoke warmly about Devin Booker, who was getting his first max contract while Melton was in Phoenix and is now a veteran leader, and said he is simply glad to see players from that group still going.

That perspective comes from a guard whose 2024-25 season was cut short by a torn ACL. Melton said the Warriors’ biggest need right now is the same thing he has been chasing: “Health is wealth out here.”

What he sees in Yaxel Lendeborg

Melton also spent much of his session on Yaxel Lendeborg, the rookie who had 26 points, nine rebounds and six threes beside him. He said Lendeborg is still learning the NBA on the fly and will make rookie mistakes, but that his competitiveness showed from his first day in Golden State. “He don’t play losing ball,” Melton said.

Through three games Melton has 35 points on 12-of-21 shooting, including 6 of 13 from three, in about 68 minutes. Golden State has not opened 0-3 since the 2006-07 season, and Melton urged patience, noting that some teams find their form early and others not until late in the season. Full numbers from the night are in the Warriors-Suns Game Center.

What comes next

Golden State visits the Denver Nuggets on Monday, October 26 at 10 p.m. ET (Tuesday, 5 a.m. in Cairo) at Ball Arena. Game Center: Warriors at Nuggets.