Tip-off: Thursday, 10:35 p.m. ET
Line: Oklahoma City -5.5, Total: 217.0

Oklahoma City goes for an eighth straight victory when it heads to Phoenix and faces the Suns Thursday.

The Thunder faced the Pacers as a 7.5-point home favorite on Tuesday and came away with a 105-92 victory. Oklahoma City has now won-and-covered in seven straight games and the team has been brilliant on both ends of the floor. Over the past five contests, this team is averaging 108.6 PPG and allowing just 93.4 PPG. Phoenix, meanwhile, snapped a 5-game losing streak with a 110-96 win in Denver on Wednesday. The Suns are just 2-3-1 ATS in their past six games. These two teams have already met twice this season, with the Thunder winning both games SU but covering in just one of those contests. Both games took place in Oklahoma City though, and Phoenix has actually won-and-covered in its past two home games versus the Thunder. Oklahoma City is 12-3 ATS after playing three consecutive games as a favorite this season and 71-51 ATS after playing a home game over the past three seasons. Phoenix, however, is 11-3 ATS when revenging a road loss versus an opponent this season. The Suns are also 36-22 ATS as an underdog over the past two seasons. SF Steve Novak (Appendix) and C Steven Adams (Hand) are both out indefinitely for the Thunder. SF Kevin Durant (Foot) is also out indefinitely, as the superstar’s foot will be evaluated sometime in the coming weeks. Phoenix is not currently dealing with any injuries.

Can the Suns beat a red-hot Thunder team to stay alive in the playoff race in the West? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2014-15 season. StatFox Forecaster has a strong 55% ATS record (154-124-1) in featured games this season. In terms of Best Bets, the experts have a huge 67% ATS (62-31) record since Feb. 1, led by StatFox Brian who has a stellar 79% ATS (15-4) mark in Best Bets during this timeframe, and is now 60% ATS (53-35) in season Best Bets. StatFox Scott is also sizzling with a 67% ATS (32-16) in Best Bets since Dec. 21, improving his record to 58% ATS (51-37) for the season. StatFox Gary is also hot with a 60% ATS (24-16) record in NBA Best Bets since Jan. 1, and 56% ATS (49-38) this season. StatFox Zach is a robust 66% ATS (27-14) in NBA Best Bets since Jan. 2, while StatFox Dave is 64% ATS (14-8) in NBA Best Bets since Jan. 28.

Oklahoma City is one of the hottest teams in basketball and that is because of PG Russell Westbrook (25.9 PPG, 8.0 APG, 6.5 RPG, 2.0 SPG). Westbrook followed up a career-high 17 assists against the Nuggets Sunday with a triple-double (20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) against the Pacers on Tuesday. The superstar has now posted 10+ assists in all four games since winning MVP in the All-Star Game. He’s averaging 24.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 6.0 APG and 1.5 SPG in two games against the Suns this season and should be in for a monster performance in this one, as he’ll have the green light to shoot more against a team that gives up a ton of easy baskets. C Enes Kanter (13.9 PPG, 8.0 RPG) has played very well since being acquired by the Thunder. Kanter had 15 points and five boards in 23 minutes against the Pacers. That followed up two straight double-doubles for the big man and he’ll need to get things going against the Suns. He was useless against Phoenix when playing for Utah, averaging 4.5 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 20.0 MPG in two games. PF Serge Ibaka (14.2 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.4 BPG) should have a big game in this one. He’s scored 20+ points in three of his past four games and is going up against a Phoenix team that is weak at the power forward position. He’ll need to protect the rim and will have a number of opportunities to knock down open jumpers in this one as well. SG Dion Waiters (10.7 PPG, 1.3 SPG) has played well over the past few games for the Thunder. He’s averaging 15.5 PPG over the past two contests and will be relied on to score against this up-tempo Suns team.

The Suns finally found the win column in a dominant performance against the Nuggets in Denver. PG Brandon Knight (17.7 PPG, 5.4 APG, 4.1 RPG, 1.5 SPG) played his best game in a Suns uniform in Denver, finishing with 19 points, six assists and three rebounds in 33 minutes. Knight is an excellent shooter (40% 3PT) and should really thrive on a team that gives its guards a lot of freedom. PG Eric Bledsoe (17.1 PPG, 6.0 APG, 5.3 RPG, 1.7 SPG) has played really well over the past five games for Phoenix. Since being handed the keys to the team after Phoenix traded both PGs Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas, Bledsoe has been way more aggressive. He is averaging just 12.8 shot attempts per game on the season, but he’s shot the ball 33 times over the past two contests. He’s averaging 19.5 PPG, 8.0 APG, 6.5 RPG and 2.0 SPG in those contests and must continue to attack the basket and find his teammates as well. He should be matched up with Russell Westbrook for a majority of this game and he must stay disciplined on defense and avoid foul trouble. C Alex Len (6.4 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.7 BPG) has now had 10+ rebounds in four straight games. He’s also had two games with six blocks in that span. Len is really figuring things out for Phoenix and he’ll need to play well in his matchup with Enes Kanter. SF P.J. Tucker (8.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.4 SPG) has been on a tear, averaging 14.6 PPG, 8.4 RPG and 2.2 SPG over the past five games. Tucker is a great on-ball defender and has been knocking down his shots lately. If he is playing well offensively then the Thunder will really have issues.