Without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Phoenix Suns have an opportunity to beat the No. 2 seed in the West, the OKC Thunder, on the road Friday. Phoenix just beat the top-seed Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena one game after losing to the last-place team in its conference, the San Antonio Spurs, who did not have Victor Wembanyama.

Phoenix is a team that is fighting to stay out of the play-in. Gilgeous-Alexander is arguably an MVP frontrunner with Jokic and is having a historic season. He is the first player since Michael Jordan to average 31 points, five assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block.

Gilgeous-Alexander is also a disruptor, like James Harden and Joel Embiid, since he is strong at drawing fouls. SGA averages 8.7 free throws per game and has 7.5 of his 30.3 points-per-game from the foul stripe.

Assuming Gilgeous-Alexander, who is listed as doubtful with a right quad contusion, does not play, here are three keys for a Suns win.

Winning the free-throw line battle

Gilgeous-Alexander is a smooth player. He can drive with any player in the NBA and in fact leads the league with over 22 drives per game.

Although Gilgeous-Alexander is a 30-point-per-game scorer, he is very efficient. He shoots 54 percent from the field overall.

The Suns struggled to guard Alexander in their 118-110 loss to OKC March 3. SGA missed all five of his 3-point attempts but was 15-of-22 from inside the arc. He also had 5-of-7 free throws made.

Oklahoma City is a team that has a starting lineup with an average age under 23. The Suns need to get the ball to Jusuf Nurkic, assuming he plays after he suffered a right ankle sprain Monday, since he had 31 rebounds in the last game. Backup center Drew Eubanks could start in Nurkic's place.

It will be on Devin Booker and Bradley Beal to get paint touches to open shooting for Kevin Durant, who is having an incredible season. The Suns also need to make sure they are limiting transition baskets.

Durant defense sets the tone, gives advantage for offense

The Suns' superstar looked every bit like one after he promised the Suns would have different intent following the Spurs loss.

“It's a game at a time,” Durant said. “We can go out there and play sh–ty next game and this game don't mean anything.

“We want to build on what we do. I'm glad we didn't let that San Antonio game bleed over to the next game…I'm not one to undermine the win, downplay what we did tonight, but new season starts in couple of weeks and these games don't matter at all once that season starts.”

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Durant had five blocks, which opened up a lot for the team's offense and shut down the Nuggets.

Devin Booker not settling

Booker to some is the best player for the Suns, who have Durant, a top-10 player of all-time.

Unfortunately for Phoenix, Booker is yet to make a sacrifice like Durant on defense or with his scoring or Beal, who has taken over point-guard duties from the ninth-year Kentucky alum.

Without Booker, the Suns do not have a chance to win their first-ever championship. With him, they need to establish him as their franchise superstar since that is what majority owner Mat Ishbia declared him in an interview to be.