Winners of five straight, including back-to-back victories over two of the top teams in the league, the Golden State Warriors are generating buzz as legitimate title contenders.  The Ringer’s Bill Simmons led his podcast on Thursday with a segment about the Warriors after their triumph over the Los Angeles Lakers (which seemed to genuinely annoy Lakers star LeBron James).

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.

Stephen Curry scored 37 points and Brandin Podziemski added 28 with a career-high eight 3-pointers as visiting the Golden State Warriors gained a game on the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference playoff race with a 123-116 win on Thursday night.