Gameday: Phoenix Suns (16-12) Tipoff 7pm Local

The last trip the Phoenix Suns made to the Ford Center, they ruined Scott Brooks' home debut with a 99-98 comeback win. Steve Nash led the 4th quarter scoring barrage after a quiet first 3 quarters, and did so without the help of Shaq, who sat this one out. Nash led the Suns to a 1 point win after trailing by 12 points early in the 4th quarter. This definitely went down as one of the most frustrating losses for Thunder fans as they had to watch the Suns pass the ball around for the final 10 or so seconds while the Thunder made feeble and failed attempts to foul.

The Suns come into tonight's game with a 5-5 record for their last 10 outings. The more important stat, however, might be the Suns current road losing streak, which currently sits at 4. The Suns have been 0-4 on the road since beating the T-Wolves way back on November 26th, which also just happened to be the day after the comeback victory against the Thunder. So I'd fully expect to see a Suns team that is not only desperate for a road win, but desperate not to lose on the road against the NBA's worst team.

The biggest difference tonight could be the presence of Shaquille O'neal, who the Thunder have not seen this season. If Shaq can be dominate down low and make the Thunder struggle for boards, then it could be a long night for the home team. On the flip side of things, if the Thunder can get out and run, push the tempo of the game, they may have an advantage, when Shaq's on the floor. Now, that might have been the stupidest thing a person could say about a team playing the suns a few years back, but now, with D'Antoni gone, and with Shaq in the middle, it could definitely be an advantage for the Thunder to try and push the ball up court.