The Golden State Warriors will be hoping to continue their momentum on Monday night against the Miami Heat, with veteran star Jimmy Butler set to come up against his former team for only the second time since last February's blockbuster trade.
Monday's game will be the first night of a back-to-back for the Warriors who will then see the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, meaning decisions have been made on the status of key bench duo De'Anthony Melton and Al Horford.
Warriors are resting De'Anthony Melton against the Heat
Melton has been in blistering form for Golden State in recent weeks, breaking a season-high in scoring in three of the past six games, including in Saturday's 136-116 victory where he had a team-high 24 points, six rebounds and three assists in less than 22 minutes.
The 27-year-old's surging momentum will be stalled slightly though, with the Warriors making the decision to rest Melton on the first night of the back-to-back. The veteran guard is still on a minutes restriction following his return from a long-term knee injury early last month, and there remains a chance he doesn't appear in any back-to-backs for the remainder of the season.
That's always been the case for Horford since his arrival in free agency. The 39-year-old will be available against the Heat on Monday though, with that a calculated move given his need would appear to be less against a smaller Raptors team 24 hours later.
The good news for Golden State is that Butler isn't on the injury report, having been the latest of late outs on Saturday night due to personal reasons. It gives the 6x All-Star an opportunity to exact revenge on the team that didn't want to pay him last season, leading to a messy exit from Miami and a two-year max extension upon his arrival at the Warriors.
Butler and Golden State will be hoping for a better outcome than what they got in his return to Miami in March last year, with the Heat recording a dominant 112-86 victory as the visitors played without 2x MVP Stephen Curry. Both Curry and Butler rested from November's game against the Heat as the undermanned Warriors suffered a 110-96 defeat.
Curry's younger brother Seth is the only other confirmed out for the Warriors on Monday, while veteran forward Draymond Green is probable due to an ankle sprain. The former Defensive Player of the Year had only his second 20-point game of the season on Saturday, going 4-of-8 from 3-point range and capitalizing on Charlotte's defensive strategy that was predicated on loading up on Curry.
The Heat will be without star guard Tyler Herro due to a rib contusion, while Davion Mitchell and Jaime Jaquez Jr. are probable for a team who enter 22-20 and eighth in the Eastern Conference standings.