The Golden State Warriors were unable to pick up a third-straight victory on Sunday night after falling to the Atlanta Hawks at Chase Center, 124-111. In many aspects of the game, the Warriors were outplayed and couldn't withstand the two haymaker runs that the Hawks went on at the end of the second and third quarters.

Despite this, there were a couple of positive things to take away from the game. For one, Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler combined for 61 points, and though their record when combining for 60+ is not pretty, to say the least, seeing the two stars able to turn it up at the same time is promising for when the stakes are highest.

The other main positive takeaway was the continued health and play of De'Anthony Melton. In his 23 minutes off the bench, Melton had 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, though he did also miss all five of his three-point attempts. However, his biggest stat came in the plus/minus column.

Outside of Trayce Jackson-Davis, who was a +4 in the final three minutes of the game, Melton was the only player to finish the game with a positive plus/minus. It wasn't just a small number, either — Melton was a +18. To be that much of a positive in what ended up being a 13-point loss is incredible.

Melton spent the early part of this season in the final stages of his rehab from an ACL tear he suffered last November. He made his return at the beginning of December, and though his shooting has been up and down, to say the least, the impact he's been having is invaluable. 

As his minutes continue to ramp up — he's played 22+ minutes in seven of his last eight games after not hitting that mark once in his first seven games — Melton's confidence and his play have continued to improve in tandem.

"I feel like it’s coming along. At the same time, like I've said, I’m just trying to take it day-by-day, game-by-game, see whatever the next game holds. I'm feeling pretty confident, just got to to see what the next day endures.”

Melton specifically talked about where he feels sharper now compared to when he first returned to the court.

“I think just confidence-wise. Just feeling more confident to beat my defender off the dribble, making the right decision. I think when I first got back, I was so used to playing against coaches. So now when I got back, it’s going against 6'7, 6'8 wings, and seven-footers, quick dudes. So I think that was just the biggest adjustment for me.”

Melton is now up to 9.7 points per game on the season and continues to look more comfortable with every passing game.