Nuggets vs. Thunder preview: Denver, OKC tip off for first time this season

In a match-up of two of the NBA's hottest teams, the Oklahoma City Thunder host the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night. With the two longest winning streaks in the Western Conference, there are few teams playing better basketball of late.

Having won six games in a row, the Nuggets appear to finally be finding their stride after months of inconsistent play, but they've also primarily played at home this month. Denver's been one of the league's best teams at home this season, but the Utah Jazz are only team above .500 overall with a worse road record than the Nuggets' 9-14 mark.

Offense has keyed Denver's success over the past couple weeks, as the team has scored at least 108 points in five games during the current winning streak. Danilo Gallinari has been a big part of that offensive resurgence, averaging 21.7 points per game on 51 percent shooting during the streak.

For the Thunder, the current four-game winning streak is just their third-longest of the season. With a league-best 30-8 record, the Thunder make OKC one of the league's hardest cities to play in.

Season Series Tips Off

The last time these two teams played, James Harden was still the league's best sixth man and Andre Iguodala was still a 76er. The Nuggets knocked off the Thunder in OKC, 106-101, on April 25.

Even though we're nearly midway through the 2012-13 season, the Thunder and Nuggets still haven't played yet this season. After Wednesday's game, three more games between the two teams are scheduled, including a meeting in Denver on Sunday. The teams also play two games in March, including a March 1 game to be broadcast nationally.