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Kevin Durant

Luke Ridnour

Chris Wilcox

"Kevin practiced, looked OK. Luke practiced, looked OK," Sonics Head Coach P.J. Carlesimo said after practice. "I would say they're both available. Weezy didn't practice, more to give him another day (of rest). I would say he's possible. He may very well play. I would expect Kevin to start."

"Kevin practiced, looked OK. Luke practiced, looked OK. I would say they're both available." Terrence Vaccaro/NBAE/Getty

Durant, who initially sprained his left finger during Saturday's win over Minnesota, said his finger, "Felt better. I can catch the ball a little better now, can dribble the ball well ... I'll be ready by next game."

When he tried to see if he could play against the 76ers on Monday, Durant warmed up with a protective glove on his left hand. He did not use the glove during Wednesday's practice, which he started with his finger taped before shedding the tape midway through practice. With the pain having lessened, extra protection wasn't really necessary.

"It's a little tiny sting," Durant said of catching passes, "but it's better than it was the other day. I just have to not think about it at all and play the game."

Ridnour has missed the last three Sonics games after experiencing tightness in his left quadriceps muscle, which he initially tore in November, when he was sidelined for 12 games. Carlesimo explained at the time that Ridnour had not looked like himself in the last game he played, Dec. 25 in Portland, but he seemed unaffected during practice. Before then, Ridnour had been getting comfortable in the lineup, scoring double-figures in five straight games and averaging 11.6 points and 3.8 assists during that span.

Having Ridnour healthy would allow Carlesimo to look at Delonte West at shooting guard. Carlesimo had planned to use West off the ball upon his return to the lineup, but he and Ridnour played together just once before West was asked to fill in for Ridnour behind starting point guard Earl Watson. West did play extensively at shooting guard alongside Watson against Philadelphia, helping fill in for Durant.

"I just think Delonte, when he's at two, gives us another dimension at two," Carlesimo explained. "It's another three-point shooter on the floor, it's a pick-and-roll player, it allows us to do some things. It gives us a matchup against smaller, quicker teams. Some teams play two smalls in general - these guys (Phoenix), for example, could have Leandro (Barbosa) and Steve (Nash) in the game together."

The Sonics hope to also get Wilcox back in the lineup for a matchup he has found favorable this season. Wilcox scored 27 points on 12-of-14 shooting in a preseason matchup against Phoenix, then had a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 11-of-13 from the field, when the teams met on Nov. 1. Though he was not as successful against the Suns last year, Wilcox's skills seem tailor-made for an up-tempo game featuring two of the NBA's fastest-paced teams.

If Wilcox is unable to go, Carlesimo said he would lean toward starting Nick Collison at power forward. Smaller lineups with Jeff Green at power forward might also be useful to match up with the athletic Phoenix frontcourt.

"Pretty much, you have to beat them at their game," Carlesimo said. "It's hard to take them out of running, it's hard to take them out of pick-and-rolls. It's hard to get them in an 82-78 game. It happens once a while. You've got to slow them down a little, I think, and you've got to outscore them."

The Sonics accomplished the first of those two goals on Nov. 1 in the season opener for the Suns, holding them to 106 points. Their offense went cold down the stretch, however, as Phoenix pulled away for a seven-point win. Both teams have grown since that early part of the season. Amongst other things, the Sonics have gotten former Phoenix center Kurt Thomas into the starting lineup.

AUDIO

Listen to P.J. Carlesimo's comments from after Wednesday's practice.

Thomas' two years in the Valley of the Sun give the Sonics some additional knowledge of the opposition. During Wednesday's practice, Carlesimo - who coached against Phoenix in the postseason twice in the last three years while in San Antonio - called on Thomas to help explain to his teammates what the Suns were doing on a particular play. That experience is nice, but limited because Phoenix thrives with execution, not deception.

"I feel good about my knowledge and I feel really good about Kurt's knowledge, but they're not a mystery," said Carlesimo. "They're an execution team. I say that in a good sense. I think we have a great understanding of what they're going to do. So do our guys. That ain't the problem. Stopping them is something else."

Durant earned T-Mobile Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors for December, the second time in as many months he has garnered the award. During the month, Durant averaged 18.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 blocks as the Sonics went 7-9. Milwaukee's Yi Jianlian was the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month.