Nothing the Golden State Warriors do really impresses anybody anymore, but to the degree that they can have an impressive week, last week was one. Not only did they beat LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers, Russell Westbrook's Oklahoma City Thunder and James Harden's Rockets, they blew all of them out. Then, after a sleepy first half in Orlando on Sunday afternoon, the Warriors dominated another third quarter and cruised to their seventh victory in a row and 11th in 12 games.

At the time of year where teams often lose focus and wear down, Golden State is playing its best basketball of the season. This is encouraging, as is the recent play of superstars Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry. The two of them have had to navigate some new terrain this season, with Curry at first taking a step back offensively so Durant could get comfortable. Now that they're sharing the court more often, they appear to be figuring out how to be aggressive at the same time -- Curry's 32.3 percent usage rate in January is just short of his 32.6 percent usage rate last season.

WARRIORS CHECK-IN

Record: 38-6

Scoring leader: Kevin Durant (26.0)

Assists leader: Draymond Green (7.6)

Rebounding leader: Draymond Green (8.7)

Last week: Defeated Cavaliers, Thunder, Rockets, Magic (4-0)

GAMES THIS WEEK

Monday, 7:30 p.m. ET: Miami Heat

Where: American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida

TV: NBA League Pass

Streaming: NBA League Pass

Wednesday, 10:30 p.m. ET: Charlotte Hornets

Where: Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina

TV: ESPN

Streaming: WatchESPN

Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET: Los Angeles Clippers

Where: Staples Center in Los Angeles, California

TV: ABC

Streaming: WatchESPN

Sunday, 9 p.m. ET: Portland Trail Blazers

Where: Moda Center in Portland, Oregon

TV: NBA TV

Streaming: PlayStation Vue

KEEP AN EYE ON ...

The Steph show

The usage rate mentioned above is instructive when understanding Curry's vibe lately, but it's not a substitute for watching him erupt. In the third quarter against the Magic on Sunday, Curry made four 3-pointers and scored 16 of his 27 points. He danced after swishing one over Serge Ibaka. He made one from 30 feet and everybody on the bench jumped around. You've seen this sort of thing before, but wasn't happening all that much earlier this year.

Curry went 8-for-15 against Orlando because his services weren't needed in the fourth quarter. He's averaging 20.8 field-goal attempts this month, though, and that was the first time he had taken fewer than 17 shots in the new year. There will surely be nights where he takes a backseat to Durant (and Klay Thompson), but that's no longer the norm. If you're like me, the increased likelihood that Curry is going to go crazy on any given night makes Golden State significantly more fun.

Stephen Curry happy
Stephen Curry is on a roll. USATSI

Third-quarter dominance

The Warriors went on a 19-4 run to start the second half against the Magic, and it wasn't out of the ordinary at all. Here's a look at how they've done in the third quarter lately:


That's outrageous, and it's probably both good and bad. If your glass is half-empty, then Golden State is being sloppy and lazy at the beginning of games, so it is needlessly creating situations where it needs to lock in later on. If it's half-full, then the Warriors are simply fantastic at making mid-game adjustments.

Getting through the doldrums

Golden State appears to be firing on all cylinders now, but that doesn't mean it isn't vulnerable. These few weeks before the All-Star break can be dangerous, and the Warriors know that they always get their opponents' best shot. While this looks like a relatively easy week, don't forget that these guys lost to a depleted Memphis Grizzlies team and were annihilated by the young Los Angeles Lakers. Losses like those can happen again if they don't keep their turnovers down and their intensity up.

Surprise contributors?

Rookie center Damian Jones made just his second appearance in an NBA game on Sunday, and die-hard Golden State fans were excited to see him log seven minutes in garbage time. Forward James Michael McAdoo played 12 good minutes against the Houston Rockets, too, and veteran David West's broken thumb means that there will continue to be opportunities available for these guys and Kevon Looney in the frontcourt.

The Warriors also rested Shaun Livingston against Orlando, and Andre Iguodala might be held out in Miami. Good news if you're a Patrick McCaw supporter.

BIGGEST ONE-ON-ONE MATCHUP

Curry vs. Lillard. It's really the battle of the backcourts -- to my eyes, C.J. McCollum has improved more this season than he did when he won Most Improved Player last year -- but let's just focus on Damian Lillard. Back in November, he gave Golden State some motivation when he said its defense wasn't the same without Andrew Bogut. The Warriors have the best defense in the league now, and it'll be Lillard's last chance to try to light up his hometown team before a potential playoff matchup. He's had huge games against Golden State before, and the ninth-place Blazers could sure use the momentum that a win against a super-team could provide.