Seven wins in a row for the Thunder after a 104-92 victory Tuesday night in Sacramento.
That puts the Thunder at 12-13 overall and past Phoenix in the standings.
Oklahoma City is just a half-game behind the Pelicans for the No. 8 spot in the playoffs and just 5.5 games from the No. 5 seed overall
The conversation on the Thunder missing out on the playoffs is now irrelevant, however, here are four things you can talk about after the Thunder's latest win:
1. Rally ready
For the first time in three games, the Thunder fell behind.
The good news is, OKC has been playing great basketball, but when the Kings took a one-point lead with 8:04 left Tuesday night, it was hard to guess how the Thunder would respond.
Well, the Thunder responded with defense.
Kevin Durant made a 15-footer on the next trip down and after Carl Landry gave the Kings the lead back, Reggie Jackson made a basket and then the Kings went more than 4 minutes without a basket.
In that span, the Thunder went from trailing by one to leading by six.
The result turned a close game into an easy finish for the Thunder â kind of what's supposed to happen when you play Sacramento.
2. Up next: Golden State
There was enough storylines from Tuesday that it was possible to not think too much about the Thunder's next game â Thursday at Golden State â but it sure is worth bringing up.
The Rudy Gay-Kendrick Perkins talk was just that. Nothing became of it â on the court, anyway. Tyrone Corbin was coaching his first game since the Kings fired coach Mike Malone.
So, might as well move on to Golden State.
It's OKC, not Golden State, who has the longest winning streak going in the NBA. Golden State lost Tuesday at Memphis and its 16-game winning streak is over, taking a bit of the edge out of Thursday's game in California.
Oh, well. It should still be good. The Thunder lost to the Warriors 91-86 on Nov. 23, but that loss comes with a mighty disclaimer: Neither Durant or Westbrook played.
3. Russ keeps getting better.
The game started with a Russell Westbrook steal and a dunk and he ended his night with a spinning layup.
No one in the league is playing as good as Westbrook is right now. He finished Tuesday night's game with 32 points, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals.
It's Westbrook's ninth game in a row where he's had more than 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.
He said before Sunday's win over Phoenix that he hasn't even thought about the possibility of being the league's MVP. Well, that doesn't mean the rest of us can't or the rest of us haven't.
The Thunder are 8-1 since he's returned to the lineup after missing 14 games in a row with a fractured wrist.
4. Durant is playing more
The Thunder didn't need Durant in the fourth quarter Sunday against Phoenix, but after giving up the lead against Sacramento on Tuesday, Durant and Westbrook were definitely needed in the fourth quarter.
Durant, who has been on a minutes restriction of about 30 minutes per game, played 35 on Tuesday. Coach Scott Brooks said Durant could go over 30 on Sunday, but Durant ended up playing just 24 against the Suns.
Durant has played in just eight games this year and the 35 minutes against the Kings was a season-high. Durant went 12-of-25 shooting and wound up with 26 points.
Follow Andrew Gilman on Twitter: @andrewgilmanOK
