The Warriors put up a valiant effort against the Spurs tonight in a 113-127 loss with only nine players available to play tonight, two of whom were on minutes restrictions: Draymond Green and Brandin Podziemski.
But one of the most eye-catching things about this game was that Malevy Leons was playing through a right-wrist injury and went viral for shooting free throws from his left hand.
The Warriors are so thin and injury depleted that Malevy Leons took a free throw left-handed tonight
He hurt his wrist two weeks ago and the Warriors badly need any bodies they can get. Impressive toughness by Leons to even be out there pic.twitter.com/pwEayxCmWF
— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) April 2, 2026
Steve Kerr, the Warriors’ head coach, spoke to the media after the loss and revealed that this is not the first time Leons played through an injury. But since it was the first time he had to play significant minutes with it, the media and fans have now taken notice.
“Just how scrappy our guys are, we’ve got a lot of guys who play hard and play the right way,” said Kerr on the Warriors’ key takeaway from this loss.
“I’m sure our fans don’t know this, but Malevy is right-handed. And his wrist is really messed up, so he shot those free throws left-handed. He had to shoot, I think, three of them.”
“He’s out there basically playing with one hand, and he’s flying around and making energy plays. We were totally shorthanded tonight, and I’m just really proud of the guys for the effort and the way they hung in. Hopefully, that effort carries over to tomorrow when we get some guys back.”
“But it matters, I told them, every game matters. The way we handle ourselves when we play matters, and I thought they handled themselves beautifully tonight,” Kerr said in conclusion of his opening remarks on the takeaways from the game. He was subsequently asked about Leons in specific.
“He’s been doing this for the last few games. He hurt his wrist maybe a week ago, and every day at practice, he shoots left-handed free throws. We had a game the other night, maybe in Dallas, when I designed a play, and he said, ‘Coach, can we run it on the other side of the floor so I can make the pass with my left hand?’ I’m like ‘Good point.'”
“What this guy is doing, as a two-way player trying to make the league, he’s smart, plays with unbelievable energy, and obviously plays through the injury.”
Since the Mavericks game was over a week ago, it is reasonable to assume that Leons has been injured for longer. Sources have also suggested that he has been injured for two weeks now, and yet he has been actively available for the team.
Leons ended the game with five points, four rebounds, and five assists while going 2-6 from the field in 29 minutes of action. While he may not have contributed a lot, just his being present on the floor tonight was commendable.
The Warriors had nine players listed as unavailable on their injury report for tonight. The Golden State is hoping to have Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Gary Payton II back in action tomorrow night, but it is not confirmed at this point.
They are now going to host the Cavaliers tomorrow night after falling to 36-40 with tonight’s loss. They are optimistically one game away from Stephen Curry’s return to action. Hopefully, his return can uplift the team’s spirits heading into the play-in tournament.
