PORTLAND, Ore. — More than two-thirds of the way through their six-month prelude to the playoffs, the Warriors are well-positioned to make another deep postseason run.

Missing Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green because of injuries at various points allowed role players to shoulder heavier loads and, ultimately, left Curry, Durant and Green refreshed for a title defense. In addition to boasting the league’s highest-scoring offense, the Warriors rank fifth in defensive rating.

The All-Star break is long overdue, however, for a team that has struggled to focus much of the past month. With Houston now a half-game ahead of it in the Western Conference standings, Golden State must maximize its time off to stay on track for a possible third NBA title in four years.

Here is a rundown of some things it could stand to accomplish before returning to action Thursday night against the Clippers and some things fans can look for in the meantime:

Get a mental break: The Warriors are experiencing the mental toll that comes with chasing a fourth straight NBA Finals appearance. For more than two weeks, they have talked openly about being drained and looking forward to the All-Star break.

Now, with that midseason respite here, head coach Steve Kerr is encouraging his team to “fill up its soul cup” with whatever makes it happiest. Some players will golf. Others are vacationing in tropical locales or visiting Las Vegas.

It is all in the name of maintaining a semblance of work-life balance in the grind of another long NBA season. Because as Kerr often preaches, self-preservation is about far more than meeting with the team trainers and staying in game shape.

Heal: Though Golden State has avoided any season-ending injuries, it has dealt with plenty of bumps and bruises. A seven-day break between regular-season games affords players much-appreciated time to rest.

Forward Jordan Bell, who has missed the past 13 games with a swollen left ankle, hopes to return soon after the break. Sidelined at least four weeks with a fractured left wrist, guard Patrick McCaw figures to wear a cast throughout Golden State’s hiatus.

Even players not listed on the injury report, however, aren’t at 100 percent. Green, Andre Iguodala and Omri Casspi, among others, have dealt with relatively minor ailments throughout the season. It will be important for the Warriors’ four All-Stars to guard against injury while slogging through All-Star weekend’s numerous requirements.

Review the sluggish starts: The Warriors are prioritizing rest over the break, but they’ll find time to review video of their most glaring issues — most notably slow starts. Though they’ve outscored opponents by a combined 488 points in the second, third and fourth quarters this season, the Warriors have been outscored by 24 in the first.

The latest stumbling start came Wednesday in Portland, when the Warriors’ slow-footed defense and sloppy passing put them into a 20-point hole late in the first quarter. It was too big of a deficit for the Warriors to overcome despite 50 points from Durant.

Asked after the game why Golden State is so prone to bad starts, Kerr pinpointed a lack of focus. Stepping away from the court for a while might be exactly what the Warriors need to start with more precision.

Thompson reclaims three-point crown: Thompson figures to enter Saturday night’s three-point contest as the favorite. In addition to shooting a league-leading 45.4 percent from distance, he is third in the NBA with 184 three-pointers.

Thompson beat Curry to win the three-point contest in 2016, tying Curry’s final-round record of 27 points. Last year, Thompson fell one point shy of reaching the final round.

His competition Saturday will be stiff. Of the seven other competitors, four — Houston’s Eric Gordon, Oklahoma City’s Paul George, Toronto’s Kyle Lowry and Miami’s Wayne Ellington — rank within the league’s top 10 in three-pointers. Gordon won the three-point contest last year.

Bring back the All-Star Game excitement: To add a measure of intrigue to an event that has grown stale, the league has introduced a format in which the player from each conference who received the most fan votes — Curry and Cleveland’s LeBron James — chose rosters from a pool of players voted as starters and reserves.

Among the more compelling subplots is the fact that Durant — James’ first pick — will play against Curry, Thompson and Green. Simply seeing Durant catching passes from James, then trying to score on his Golden State teammates, will be enough to interest many viewers.

The new format also could help make the game more competitive. After all, players are more apt to try when they’re alongside teammates with whom they might not get the chance to play again.