Thunder hope to end LeBron's record-setting streak with win in OKC

The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat will go head-to-head at 7 p.m. Thursday at Chesapeake Energy Arena in what’s most likely the biggest game of the season for either team.

While the run-and-gun Knicks, the ageless Spurs and the Clippers in “Lob City” all have been having fantastic seasons, none of them come anywhere close to the level at which the Heat and Thunder are playing.

Tonight’s bout between these NBA heavyweights will be the last time they play each other in the regular season, with most expecting them to meet again in the NBA Finals.

It will be Miami’s first trip back to the Chesapeake Energy Arena since its Game 2 victory in last year’s NBA Finals, which was the beginning of the end for the Thunder. The Heat would go on to rattle off four straight victories to win the NBA title after losing the first game of the series.

One only can imagine this game will be a playoff-like atmosphere tonight at the Peake, and the biggest storyline entering the game is the record-setting performance of LeBron James.

James has taken his play to a new level as of late, becoming the first player in the history of the NBA to score 30 points and shoot better than 60 percent from the floor in six straight games, breaking the previous record of five games held by Hall-of-Famers Moses Malone and Adrian Dantley.

It will be interesting to see if he can continue his record-setting pace against one of the league’s best frontcourts in Oklahoma City.

Tuesday night, Oklahoma City fell at the hands of the Utah Jazz, snapping its four-game winning streak despite shooting 56 percent from the field.

The Thunder’s play was lackadaisical. It committed 20 turnovers and was unable to stop Utah’s front line of Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson, who combined for 41 points and 17 rebounds.

Whether it was a total lack of focus or too much focus on the Thunder’s impending matchup with Miami, it’s safe to say Oklahoma City’s head was elsewhere.

James and Kevin Durant — like their teams — are in a league of their own. As always, it will be a spectacle to watch them go toe-to-toe.

They have pulled away from the pack as frontrunners for the league’s MVP award, and it will be interesting to see who takes the reins after their showdown.

One thing is certain: Tonight’s contest will not disappoint. It will be a close, fiery, competitive matchup between the league’s two best teams.