After a dramatic 95-91 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, the Oklahoma City Thunder have a chance to grow the gap between them and the Western Conference pack during the rest of their five-game home stand.
On Wednesday, they play the aimless Phoenix Suns, who still have Steve Nash but little else and have stumbled to a 17-20 record and a -1.7 point differential this season.
Oklahoma City beat Phoenix 107-97 on New Year's Eve in the first meeting between the two teams this season.
Russell Westbrook led the way with 18 points on 8-14 shooting as the Suns don't have the athletes to match up with him defensively on the perimeter. Kevin Durant, playing perennial All-Defensive team contender Grant Hill, had one of his worst nights all season, scoring 12 points on 4-11 shooting.
None of the Suns starters could get much going against the Thunder, as Phoenix doesn't really have an advantage at any position on the floor or coming off the bench.
And while they still have Nash, the days of the "Seven Seconds or Less" have come and gone. Without Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion and Leandro Barbosa, the Suns don't have the firepower to run and gun for 48 minutes, and coach Alvin Gentry has them playing at only the 10th highest pace in the NBA this season.
However, if Phoenix can keep the game close in the final minutes, Nash, who is averaging 14 points and 11 assists on 54% shooting, is still dangerous enough offensively to steal a game.
The 7:00 PM game will be broadcast regionally on Fox Sports Oklahoma.
For the latest news and notes on the Thunder, head over to Welcome To Loud City while Bright Side of the Sun has you covered on all the pre-game angles from Phoenix.