The Golden State Warriors appear to have hit their stride. After Sunday's 133-120 victory over the Phoenix Suns, the super villains are 8-2 on the season. If you disregard their opening-night disaster against the San Antonio Spurs and their surprising stumble against the Los Angeles Lakers, they have an offensive rating of 117.3 and a defensive rating of 101.0, which would put them in the top 10 in both categories.
Including the losses, the Warriors now have the best overall offensive rating in the NBA, as expected. Both Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry are putting up MVP-caliber numbers. They haven't hit their peak, but Draymond Green seems to have found his niche and Klay Thompson has ended his slump. There are still questions about their defense, and, as they head East for a four-game road trip, they will be challenged on that end of the floor.
WARRIORS CHECK-IN
Record: 8-2
Scoring leader: Kevin Durant (27.7)
Assists leader: Draymond Green (7.1)
Rebounding leader: Draymond Green (10.1)
Last week: Defeated Pelicans, Mavericks, Nuggets and Suns (4-0)
GAMES THIS WEEK
When: Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET
Who: Toronto Raptors
Where: Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario
TV: ESPN
Streaming: WatchESPN
The Raptors are on a roll, with the league's leading scorer and the same number of losses as Golden State. DeMar DeRozan is drawing comparisons to Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade and his early-season scoring numbers haven't been seen since Michael Jordan. Toronto is never an easy place to play, and the ACC will be packed with fans celebrating the team's annual "Drake Night."
Like the rest of the league, the Raptors do not have the same amount of talent as the Warriors. They hung with them in both of their meetings last year, though, and they believe they can challenge them. Beyond their All-Star backcourt and center Jonas Valanciunas' physicality, their bench unit could be a problem for Golden State.
When: Friday, 8 p.m. ET
Who: Boston Celtics
Where: TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts
TV: ESPN
Streaming: WatchESPN
Like Toronto, Boston plays with no fear when it faces the Warriors. This is the team that gave them their first loss at Oracle Arena last year -- in April! -- on the strength of physical one-on-one defense and timely playmaking from Isaiah Thomas and Evan Turner. Turner is gone now, a factor that Thomas brought up when discussing the Celtics' slow start, but that doesn't mean they are less equipped to challenge Golden State. If Boston can disrupt the Warriors' offensive rhythm, it will have a chance.
The big question here is whether or not the Celtics will be fully healthy. Big man Al Horford will surely be back from his concussion, but the status of forward Jae Crowder is less clear. Crowder hasn't played since Nov. 2 because of a sprained ankle, and Boston is a much more versatile team when he's in the lineup, especially without Turner. His absence is a big part of why the Celtics have slipped to 25th in defensive rating this season.
When: Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET
Who: Milwaukee Bucks
Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
TV: NBA League Pass
Streaming: NBA League Pass
This might seem like an easy one until you remember what happened to Golden State in almost the same scenario last season. With a 24-0 record, the Warriors waltzed into Milwaukee, fresh off a win in Boston and on the final night of a seven-game road trip, and the Bucks bullied them. Greg Monroe went to work in the post, the Splash Brothers misfired from long range and Golden State looked exhausted, suffering its first loss of the season. This one isn't quite as brutal, schedule-wise, but it's still dangerous.
Ideally, the Warriors will be able to manage their minutes in Toronto and Boston, and it's even possible that coach Steve Kerr will sit a star for one of these games. They're obviously much better than the Bucks, but it's not hard to imagine Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker giving them trouble by getting into the paint over and over.
KEEP AN EYE ON ...
JaVale McGee's minutes
Golden State assistant coach Ron Adams recently called JaVale McGee "a really delightful member of our group," per the San Francisco Chronicle's Connor Letourneau, and Kerr said in a radio interview that he's excited to keep giving him minutes. It's a little silly that he and starting center Zaza Pachulia technically play the same position -- they couldn't be more different when it comes to what they bring to the table.
Since the preseason, McGee has shown in limited minutes that his rim running and athletic ability give the Warriors another dimension. When the floor is spaced and he's rolling toward the basket, the opposing team needs to account for his ability to finish alley-oops. It seems like Stephen Curry loves playing with McGee, and as long as he limits his turnovers and defensive lapses, he has a chance to become a regular part of the rotation.
In a classic revenge game, McGee had 10 points, three rebounds, an assist and two blocks in 15 minutes against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, making an impact as soon as he hit the court in the first quarter. On Sunday in Phoenix, however, he only played three minutes because the Suns kept small lineups on the court. Let's see whether or not he can keep the coaching staff's trust.
Klay's accuracy
Small sample sizes are fascinating. In the first seven games of the season, Klay Thompson shot 53 3-pointers and missed 42 of them. As shocking as it was to see a sharpshooter like him making only 20.8 percent of his 3s, there was an easy explanation: With Durant on board, he could not find his normal rhythm.
Thompson flatly rejected this theory, and then he got to work disproving it. In his last three games, he has shot 12-for-19 from deep.
The early worries about Thompson's cold streak were not entirely illogical. It helps scorers when they know they're going to get a steady diet of touches, and he didn't shoot efficiently when surrounded by stars at the Olympic Games in Rio, either. The smart money is on Thompson continuing to raise his 3-point percentage, but it's not as if he has completely quelled the concerns. ESPN's David Thorpe suggested on a recent podcast that the Warriors should consider bringing him off the bench.
Team defense
If Golden State is trying to figure out how to play together, it can make up for that on offense with individual brilliance. The same is not true on the defensive end, where the Warriors need to be even more locked in than in previous seasons because of their lack of shot-blocking outside of McGee. Even if their struggles getting stops have been a bit overstated, the perception matters. Opponents have made a point of trying to attack the rim, putting pressure on Green and Durant to protect it.
Golden State's level of cohesion on defense is going to determine whether it is a historic team or a merely great one. At this point in the season, facing the Celtics and Raptors is its biggest test yet. They are ranked Nos. 4 and 5 in offensive rating, respectively.
BIGGEST ONE-ON-ONE MATCHUP
This one is obvious: Thompson vs. DeRozan. These two scorers from Los Angeles play very different styles, but, along with fellow L.A. native James Harden, they are the top players at their position. DeRozan has been the Raptors' clear No. 1 option this season, and it's no coincidence that their only bad loss was when he was shot just 7-for-20 against the Sacramento Kings.
Thompson is one of the best one-on-one wing defenders in the world, but he'll have his hands full here. Part of Golden State's strategy should be making DeRozan chase him around on the other end. It will take a team effort to slow down the league's leading scorer, though, and the Raptors like to run 1-2 pick-and-rolls against the Warriors in order to make Curry switch onto DeRozan.
