The Oklahoma City Thunder take their NBA-best record and 11-game winning streak on the road to face one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference when they square off against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. The Thunder's run of success is the longest since the club moved to Oklahoma City and the longest for the franchise since the Seattle SuperSonics won 14 straight in 1996. Oklahoma City has captured 19 of its last 21 and is coming off an impressive 107-93 home triumph over San Antonio.
The Hawks have been no slouches, winning 11 of their last 14 to lay claim to the third-best record in the East - and they are responsible for one of Oklahoma City's four losses. Atlanta posted a 104-95 victory on Nov. 4 in Oklahoma City despite playing without star forward Josh Smith. Atlanta is coming off a 100-95 overtime win at Washington on Tuesday, but tired legs haven't been a problem for the Hawks in back-to-back sets. They're 4-0 on the second night of back-to-backs this season.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN (Oklahoma City), SportSouth (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE THUNDER (20-4): Oklahoma City is one of the most efficient offensive teams in the league, leading the NBA in points per game (105.8), free-throw percentage (84.2), 3-point field-goal percentage (41.1) and point differential (9.5) and placing second in field-goal percentage (48.7). The Thunder defend well, too, limiting opponents to 42.7 percent shooting, which ranks third in the league. Stars Kevin Durant (27.1 points, 8.3 rebounds) and Russell Westbrook (20.8 points, 8.8 assists) continue to lead the way, with Kevin Martin (16.1 points) making a splash off the bench and Serge Ibaka (14.6 points, 8 rebounds) emerging as a strong post presence.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (15-7): Atlanta feeds off its defense and ranks among the league leaders in turnovers forced (16.9) and steals (9.1). The Hawks do a lot of their work at the offensive end in the post, with Smith (16.6 points, 8.3 rebounds) and Al Horford (15.8, 10) leading the way. Louis Williams (14.4 points) is a big-time scorer off the bench as he went for 24 points Tuesday, and point guard Jeff Teague (13.1 points, 6.3 assists) and sharp-shooting forward Kyle Korver (10.6 points) average double-digit scoring.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Oklahoma City is 11-0 when at least five players score in double digits and 10-1 when Westbrook and Durant each top 20 points.
2. Atlanta is 6-0 when Smith and Horford both record double-doubles.
3. The Thunder have won by an average of 14.4 points during their winning streak.