THE Golden State Warriors are 48-4 and will bring an 11-game winning streak to Portland on Friday when their regular season resumes.

    The defending champions have been so dominant that they could already be a 50-win team this weekend. And unless opponents start figuring out a way to slow Stephen Curry and the league’s most potent offense, they could be the best team ever by the time they’re done.

    Curry and fellow All-Stars Klay Thompson and Draymond Green took time out for fun in the first All-Star Game held outside the U.S., where Curry tossed in the final points in the highest-scoring game ever with a 42-footer to give the West a 196-173 victory.

    It won’t be long before they get serious again.

    “Yeah, obviously, Thursday, Friday, when games start up, put our game face back on and figure out how we’re going to try to finish out the season strong and go after another championship,” Curry said.

    Golden State could reach 50 wins with a victory Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers in what’s become perhaps the league’s testiest rivalry.

    With Curry at the helm, the Warriors are on track to break the NBA record for most regular season wins, a title held by Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.

    “If it’s there for us we want to get it, but at the end of the day we’re trying to win a championship,” Thompson said.

    There are a couple of teams in the West, and a front-runner in the East that could pose the toughest challenges to the Warriors. San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Cleveland seem to have the best chances to prevent Golden State from repeating.

    Business comes before basketball this week, as the trade deadline is Thursday afternoon, a few hours before the season resumes. Contenders will try to load up and disappointments can break up.

    From there, there’s less than two months before the playoffs begin. (SD-Agencies)