The prospect of the Golden State Warriors' All-Star starting five finding a consistent rhythm continues to spread fear throughout the NBA.
The Warriors come into their clash with the Washington Wizards, live on Sky Sports USA, in imperious form having reeled off eight straight wins to roar back to the top of the Western Conference.
DeMarcus Cousins continued his assimilation into the Warriors' rotation with eight points and nine boards in the defending champions' latest conquest, which saw them tear apart the Los Angeles Lakers 130-111 on the road.
Klay Thompson put in a record-breaking performance, racking up 44 points as the Warriors shooting guard became the first player to hit his first 10 three-pointers in an NBA game.
Fellow Splash Brother Steph Curry had an off-night and also suffered an embarrassing fast-break fail but still put up a double-double (11 points, 12 assists) despite having a poor night shooting the ball.
The fact the Warriors still managed a blow-out victory on the road against their California rivals shows just how devastating the impact of adding Cousins to their lineup can potentially be.
Denver Nuggets' defeat to the Utah Jazz on Thursday morning means the Oakland ball club will have the chance to stretch their lead at the Conference standings when they encounter the Wizards, but the team from the capital are in the midst of somewhat of a renaissance and will harbour hopes of causing an upset at the Capital One Arena.
Monday saw the Wizards (20-26) win their second straight and fourth out of their last five, cruising past the visiting Detroit Pistons 101-87 as they continue their push for the hotly-contested eighth and final playoff spot in the East.
Seven players came away with double-digits in that victory, including Trevor Ariza, who had a team-leading double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Thomas Bryant had one of his own with 11 points and 12 boards, while Bradley Beal finished with 16 points and four dimes whilst Otto Porter Jr put up 19 points from the bench.
Key Battle: Klay Thompson vs Bradley Beal
Klay Thompson has had an inconsistent season. Despite being capable of erupting on any given night for 50 points or more, generally the 28-year-old is having a down campaign, with his three-point percentage dropping below 40 per cent for the first time in his career (38.2).
Bradley Beal, on the other hand, has thrived, particularly as the fulcrum of Washington's offense after John Wall went down injured. He's averaging career highs in points, assists and rebounds as well as recording the first two triple-doubles of his career.
Beal hit 23 points the last time the two teams met, in a 144-122 win for the Warriors at the Oracle Arena back in October, whilst Thompson only managed 19. He'll need to win that person battle again if they have any hopes of taking the spoils.
Last time out
Numbers game
+35 - The Warriors' five All-Star lineup has played 18 minutes so far, recording a points differential of plus-35, scoring 55 points to their opponents' (LA Lakers, LA Clippers) 20 in two games, also causing 10 turnovers in that time.
And compounding that is the fact that Washington's defense is the second-worst in the league behind only the Atlanta Hawks, allowing teams to drop an average of 115.8 points per game.
One to watch (Warriors): DeMarcus Cousins
'Boogie' Cousins is easing his way back into things as he returns from injury and in just over 18 minutes, he's averaging 11 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4 assists in the two games since his return.
Those minutes will be sure to build up gradually towards a normal starter's allocation and it will be fascinating to watch how he continues to meld with the Golden State offense.
His impact at the other end will also be sure to increase as head coach Steve Kerr ups his minutes.
One to watch (Washington): Trevor Ariza
Veteran wing Trevor Ariza has immediately become an important part of the Wizards' roster following his trade from the Phoenix Suns last month.
Now in his 15th year, the 33-year-old is no stranger to facing the Warriors and was part of the Houston team which took them all the way to a seventh game in last year's Western Conference Finals.
His production on both ends has been vital for Washington in his 16 games so far, Ariza averaging 11.7 points with 5.8 rebounds, as well as being a versatile and impactful switch defender.