Editor's note: Grant Liffmann (@grantliffmann) is the co-host of Warriors Outsiders, which airs on NBC Sports Bay Area 60 minutes after every game. Each week, Grant will drop his Outsider Observation on the state of the Dubs.

The Warriors pulled off a Christmas miracle Wednesday, defeating the Houston Rockets 116-104 at Chase Center. The win was the biggest upset in Christmas Day games history, as the Warriors closed as 11.5-point betting underdogs.

The team played as well as they have the entire season, staying focused and precise with their execution of the game plan, and not buckling when the Rockets put together small offensive spurts. Despite winning their last two games against poor opponents, the Warriors finally got a win they could be fully proud of and perhaps use as a springboard moving forward.

If nothing else, the Warriors' young roster full of under-25 players got a taste of winning basketball, and can now use that experience in the future.

Here are some notes on role players that have been stepping up for the Warriors during this recent upswing:

Willie Cauley-Stein

Cauley-Stein is blossoming into a rim protector right before our eyes. After missing all of training camp due to injury -- and then trying to regain his conditioning and rhythm while playing with a completely new team -- Cauley-Stein struggled out the gate. He has never been known as a premier shot-blocker, averaging less than one per game for his career, but as of late, he has taken his rim defense to another level.

Cauley-Stein blocked four shots in the win against the Rockets on Christmas Day, and has now blocked three or more shots in five of the last seven games (averaging 2.7 blocks per game over the seven). The Warriors are starting to defend better as a team, and Cauley-Stein, to go along with Marquese Chriss and Omari Spellman, have been major factors in that development from the center spot.

Damion Lee

Lee has found his shooting stroke after missing 16 games due to an injury to his shooting hand. Lee hit both of his three-point attempts during his 22-point outburst vs. Houston, which means he now has made eight of 14 from distance over the last three games. That hot streak has raised his season three-point percentage from 30 percent to nearly 36 percent.

Meanwhile, Lee also did his best James Harden impression, shooting 10 free throws and making all of them. Over the last five games, Lee has made all of his 21 free throw attempts and is shooting 88 percent from the line this season. To go along with his scoring, Lee also has been in a groove rebounding the basketball. Lee has pulled down six or more boards in four straight games, including a monster 15-rebound performance against the Rockets.

Those 15 rebounds are Lee's career-high, and also ties the career-high of his brother-in-law Steph Curry.

[RELATED: Steph hyped Lee balled in new Curry 7s in Christmas win]

Glenn Robinson III

Robinson quietly is putting together the best season of his career. Coming into the year, GRIII was under a lot of pressure to fill a massive void at the wing position for the Warriors. After injuries thrust him into a heavy workload each and every night, Robinson has responded impressively.

The 6-foot-6 small forward is averaging nearly 12 points a game -- practically double his previous season-high -- and shooting over 40 percent from deep. He also has drawn the toughest defensive assignment in most games and has held his own in the matchups.

Robinson has been as solid as the Warriors could have hoped for, and could end up being a valuable asset to a contender this season via trade or could re-sign with Golden State for multiple years following the season -- if the team's salary cap restrictions were to allow it.