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Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors drives against Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.

Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry made a bold admission after they dispatched the Denver Nuggets 118-104 on Friday for their fifth straight win — beating teams ahead of them in the standings.

They’re playing championship-level basketball.

“We’re playing like that,” Curry admitted to reporters after the win. “We have a lot of work. I’ve been saying that since this run started. We still have a lot of work to do to finish the year strong. You are seeing an identity on a night-to-night that we understand how to win games. Whether it’s games where tempo is a lot faster, you got to score or if it’s a grind-out defensive game. We’ve played better in the fourth quarters with leads. All the things that championship-caliber teams do, we’ve been doing and it’s clearly different than two months ago.

“For us to just be able to get into a playoffs series, we understand what we’re capable of, and whether you’re predicting it or speaking it into existence or whatever it is, the confidence is there. So just ride that wave.”

The win pushed the Warriors record to 46-31, a full game clear of the play-in group.

Warriors Tend to Level Up ‘When The Lights Get Brighter’

The Warriors stayed in the hunt for a homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs with their 14th win over their last 17 games.

They are now just half-game behind the Nuggets for the fourth seed in the stacked Western Conference, a remarkable climb from 11th before the Jimmy Butler trade.

Curry repeatedly said the Butler trade has revitalized him as his wish to play meaningful basketball was granted. Their 20-2 record when they play together speaks for itself.

“[There’s a] sense of urgency down the stretch,” Curry told reporters. “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 set the tone for the Warriors’ level-up performance. He lit up the Nuggets with 36 points on 13-of-24 shooting with seven 3s and dished out five assists.

Steph Curry ‘Looked So Fast’

Curry continued his hot scoring streak with his third straight game of scoring 30 or more points which started with his 52-point game in Memphis on April 1.

Over his last three games, Curry’s total points has reached 125, which according to ESPN is second only to LeBron James, the most conditioned NBA athlete, for most points in a three-game span by a player age 37 or older.

“In three different cities at 37,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said in awe of his superstar guard. “He looked so fast out there tonight, and I think maybe it’s the most underrated part of his game, is his conditioning. Just incredible what he does out there, especially considering how much attention he draws defensively, how much pressure people put on him, and he handles it night after night and flourishes.”

What Curry lacks in size, he more than compensates with his uncanny shooting and constant movement on the floor to get free from his defender.

Curry and the Warriors look to continue to extend the NBA’s hottest winning streak against the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets on Sunday.