Kerr seems to be satisfied with the starting lineup of Warriors vs. Thunder originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

After insisting he would lean heavily into the Warriors’ roster while mixing and matching starting lineups, coach Steve Kerr appears to have finally settled on a permanent unit.

Call it the all-in-one lineup.

Kerr added newcomer De’Anthony Melton to the group of regulars – Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and Trayce Jackson-Davis – and watched that quintet set the tone and lead Golden State to a 127-116 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder piloted. on Sunday evening at Paycom Center.

The win, their eighth in their last 10 games, improved the surging Warriors to 8-2 in the Western Conference, a half-game behind the Phoenix Suns.

On a night when Curry had his usual superstar performance with 36 points and Andrew Wiggins aggressively put up 18 points, Melton stepped up for his first start in a Warriors uniform and offset the slow-scoring nights of Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis by to pour in a season-high 19 points to go with 10 rebounds, two assists and three steals.

Afterwards, Kerr told reporters he plans to stick with the same starting five when the Warriors return home Tuesday to take on former Splash Brother Klay Thompson and the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center.

“I think it gives us a really good two-way lineup,” Kerr said. “You saw what (Melton) could do on both ends. He’s a very good passer, an excellent 3-point shooter (and) a very good ball defender as well.

“Melting into the starting lineup is something we talked about a lot in camp and here early on. Really liked it. I think it makes a lot of sense for us.”

The Warriors signed Melton less for his offense than for his defense. The 6-foot-1 guard has a huge wingspan, has twice finished in the top 15 for individual steals and currently has a 96 defensive rating.

“It’s exactly what you expected,” Curry said on NBC Sports Bay Area’s “Warriors Postgame Live” show. ‘He went around the block. He’s a gamer. When we played them when he was in Memphis and we were in that (2022) playoff series, he was a difference maker on both ends of the floor. (Tonight) that third quarter was huge. He hit big threes and played great defense.”

Curry, Green and Jackson-Davis are the only players Kerr has started every game this season. Wiggins has started eight of the 10 games, but that fifth spot in the lineup has had a revolving door.

Jonathan Kuminga had sporadic success as a starter earlier this season but has done well since being moved to the bench, averaging 17.4 points while shooting 51.7 percent (45 of 87) from the floor.

That’s one reason Kerr feels comfortable finally settling on a starting group.

“I would like that group that was there tonight to be our group for the future,” Kerr said. “JK has shown from the bench how important he is to us. He seems to fit that role really well.

“We’re looking for a really good defense to start the game, and that lineup gives us two ball defenders in Wiggs and Melt, and then two big defenders in Draymond and Trayce. I think we’ll stick with it and see how it goes.”

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast