SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors believe that after almost three months of inconsistent basketball, they are finally hitting their stride. The good feelings that come when a team wins its eighth game in 11 tries were on full display after a 137-103 win over a hapless Sacramento Kings team Friday night.

The reason Steve Kerr and his players think they might actually be able to sustain this momentum and make a push up the Western Conference standings as they continue an eight-game homestand centers around the contributions of two veterans who have recently returned to the lineup from injuries: De’Anthony Melton and Al Horford.

“I think those are the two key guys when we’re talking about this subject,” Kerr said after the Warriors improved to 21-18. “What kind of team we’re gonna be, who we are. Those guys are two-way, playoff performers — you can put ’em in any game. It just feels like the addition of those two guys has changed quite a bit for us.”

Melton, who missed most of the last two years after rehabbing an ACL injury last season and dealing with back issues the season before, has become an immediate stabilizer for the team. Kerr trusts him on both ends of the floor, and Melton continues to show that he is a difference maker for a group that could use more juice. He scored 19 points on Friday and is averaging 13.3 points in four games this month — a fact made even more impressive because when he made his season debut on Dec. 4, Melton had played in just 44 games over the previous two seasons.

The 39-year-old Horford is a different story. After signing with Golden State, at the beginning of training camp, Horford has struggled to make an impact while dealing with injuries and inconsistent play. However, he has had a resurgence since returning from a lingering sciatica issue that caused him to miss most of December. Horford scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds in 16 minutes on Friday night. In four games this month, Horford is averaging 8.7 points and seven rebounds a game. The veteran is a big reason why the group appears to be playing with renewed confidence.

“I think every team has a belief in themselves until you get smacked in the face,” Warriors star Stephen Curry said. “And we have been smacked in the face a couple times this year, but we’ve bounced back, and a lot of that has to do with Melton, Al, Gui (Santos) coming in making huge contributions, Will (Richard) finding his way into the rotation.

Curry added, “Our defense has been pretty solid all year, it’s just the offense has come and gone so those two guys (Melton and Horford), the vets, are helping tremendously, connect certain lineups.”

That’s the key for the Warriors — Melton and Horford’s improved play and availability have helped Kerr nail down his rotation. The roster has always had depth, but the talent within that depth hasn’t always played at a high enough level early this season. Finally, that situation seems to be improving.

“It feels like the version of the team that we expected when we signed those guys over the summer with the depth,” Kerr said. “So we’re getting into a good groove.”