Stephen Curry Says Warriors 'Tend to Level Up,' Are Playing Like NBA Title Contenders

That sound coming from the Western Conference is the Golden State Warriors emerging from the shadows to look like a viable NBA Finals contender for the first time since their last championship during the 2021-22 season.

After leading the Warriors to their fifth straight victory with a 118-104 win over the Denver Nuggets on Friday, Stephen Curry said they "tend to level up" when the pressure increases.

"[There's a] sense of urgency down the stretch. The feeling of where you are in the standings, every game mattering. And the idea that the chess match of 'how do we win this particular game?' becomes a little bit more important. We thrive off of that. That's why we've been so successful for this many years. Because as the stakes rise, the lights get brighter, we tend to level up."

Curry went on to say "we're playing like that" when asked if he views the Warriors as a title contender, but they "still have a lot of work to do to finish the year strong."

Friday started out looking like a potential blowout for the Nuggets. They picked apart this vaunted Warriors defense with 44 points in the first quarter, including 15 from Nikola Jokić.

Golden State righted the ship by holding Denver to just 60 points over the final three quarters. Jokić still got his with 33 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists because he's unstoppable, but the rest of the team was unable to match his level.

Acquiring Jimmy Butler has unlocked the best version of the Warriors. Since his first start with the team on Feb. 8, they lead the NBA in defensive rating (109.4) and steals (10.5) in 26 games.

Curry is on a heater right now after scoring 36 points against the Nuggets. It was his third straight game with at least 35 points and he's shooting 50.0 percent from three on 46 attempts during this run.

The Warriors are 21-5 in the 26 games since Butler's debut. They have moved up to fifth in the Western Conference standings, tied with Denver in the loss column for the No. 4 seed, and just one game behind the Los Angeles Lakers at three.

Curry and Butler are two of the best playoff players in this era. They haven't quite secured a spot in the top six just yet, but all the pieces are in place for this Golden State team to win a postseason series for the first time since the 2022-23 season.