76ers vs. Warriors: De’Anthony Melton’s Playing Status on Friday

Will De'Anthony Melton face the Golden State Warriors on Friday?

Going into the Friday night matchup against the Golden State Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers hope to get healthier.

On Tuesday, the Sixers believed they were on pace to get another player back in the mix as Danuel House Jr. was upgraded to probable after missing the last couple of games. Not only was House surprisingly downgraded to doubtful before getting ruled out on Tuesday, but the 76ers added De’Anthony Melton to the injury report not long after the team’s morning shootaround.

Melton was dealing with back tightness, a lingering injury that’s taken him off the court in the past. Back on November 2 when the Sixers hosted the Washington Wizards, Melton missed his first game of the year after appearing in eight-straight games.

While Melton returned for the next three games, picking up some appearances in the starting lineup, the young veteran missed Philly’s November 12 matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. Since then, leading up to the Tuesday matchup against the Sacramento Kings, Melton was healthy and thriving.

Starting in 12 of the next 13 games since his second absence, Melton spent an average of 33 minutes on the court. The previous year, Melton averaged a career-high of 23 minutes on the court in 73 games with the Memphis Grizzlies.

While Melton’s minutes will minimize when the team gets Tyrese Maxey back in the mix, Melton’s role will remain expanded as long as the third-year guard continues to rehab his fractured foot.

Melton’s sudden absence on Tuesday night was a surprise, but it didn’t affect the Sixers negatively as they cruised past the Kings with a 20-point victory. On Thursday, Melton returned to practice with his team, and put in additional work after the matchup.

Sixers head coach Doc Rivers mentioned that Melton “looked a little better” on Tuesday, but assumed the guard would be on the injury report listed as questionable for Friday’s battle against the Golden State Warriors. 

Contrary to Rivers’ beliefs, the Sixers left Melton off the report, indicating the veteran guard is cleared for action on Friday night.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.