Warriors jump 15 spots into CBS Sports' top 10 as Curry and Lendeborg drive five-game run

Two weeks ago the Golden State Warriors were 0-3 and looked like the lottery team most people had predicted. Five straight wins later, they are ninth in CBS Sports' weekly NBA power rankings. Brad Botkin moved them up 15 places, the biggest jump of any team this week. They now sit one spot ahead of Oklahoma City and two spots behind the Lakers, the team that beat them by 22 on opening night.

Botkin's case starts with Stephen Curry, who is averaging 30 points in 28.8 minutes a night. He is hitting 43 percent of his 3-pointers on more than 10 attempts per game. According to NBA.com's team game notes, Curry made his first 51 free throws of the season before missing one in Monday's win over Phoenix, one short of his best start at the line. Curry scored 34 points in that game.

The bigger change is rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. Asked after the Suns game what feels different from last season's 37-win team, Curry started with the obvious answer: "I mean, Yax," he told reporters, as quoted by CBS Sports. Lendeborg is averaging 22.3 points through his first seven games. Only two other Warriors have topped 20 a game over their first seven, Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry. He scored 37 against the Clippers on Sunday. Brandin Podziemski is also posting career highs of 17 points, five assists and five rebounds a game, and Golden State is plus-50 with him on the floor. Botkin did point out that the defense is still in the league's bottom 10 and that the team's style has barely changed. The difference is that Curry finally has two teammates who can break a defense down.

The streak survived a messy finish against Phoenix. Draymond Green was ejected in the third quarter after shoving Khaman Maluach and grabbing Dillon Brooks. Bleacher Report relayed ESPN's Shams Charania saying he doesn't expect the league to punish Green any further, which would leave him available for Thursday's game. Golden State was down 10 when Green left and came back to win 116-113.

What it means for Thursday against Miami

The Warriors host the Miami Heat on Thursday on NBA TV. The two teams are on very different paths. Golden State is 5-3 and has outscored opponents by 57 points during the five-game run. Three of those wins came at home, over the Lakers, Clippers and Suns. The early losses were by 22 at the Lakers, three at home to Memphis and nine at Phoenix, so the team is plus-23 on the season.

CBS Sports has Miami 21st at 2-5. Botkin wrote that the pairing of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo has been clunky, and that the Heat's defense ranks in the league's bottom five. That matchup suits a Warriors offense that CBS rates in the top five. The other thing to watch is Curry's career total: NBA.com's notes have him two points behind Oscar Robertson for 17th on the all-time scoring list, so he should pass Robertson early in the first quarter at Chase Center.

The tougher part of the schedule comes later. For now, Thursday is a home game against a struggling team, and a win would push the streak to six.