After an April 4th loss to the Atlanta Hawks, as the Warriors fell to 1-7 in their last eight games. It was arguably the lowest point of the season so far, as the Warriors were losing their grip on the 10th seed in the West. It wouldn’t have been much longer before they were out of the playoff picture entirely if they had kept losing at that rate. They needed a quick turnaround.

And, boy did we get one. After an impressive 1-point victory over the Milwaukee Bucks that got them back in the win column, they followed it up with a 110-107 loss to the Wizards. However, ever since then, the Warriors have won a season-high four consecutive games. Despite losing James Wiseman for the season with a torn meniscus, the team is arguably playing their best basketball that they have played all year. Suddenly, they were 5-1 in their last six games.

So what’s been different? Well, we can start with the obvious. Stephen Curry has rattled off an incredible nine straight games with 30+ points, including 53 points in a win over the Nuggets. He has been an MVP-caliber player all season, but he has really stepped it up over the past few weeks ever since returning from the tailbone injury.

The other main reason has been the better bench play. Earlier this season, the Warriors bench was in total disarray. However, the Warriors have really started to effectively showcase their depth, as during the last six games, the Warriors have had ten different players who scored double-digits at least once over that stretch. Not only are the Warriors playing with a supercharged version of Stephen Curry, but they are also starting to figure out how to keep the team in games when Curry is off the floor.

With 16 games left in the NBA season, the Warriors (hopefully) have hit their stride at just the right time, as they have reclaimed the #9 seed in the West and are just half a game back of the 8th seeded Grizzlies. With strong play down the stretch, the Warriors could work towards clinching a spot in the play-in tournament.