Amare Stoudemire will be licking his chops when the Pacers come to town after playing his best career game earlier this year in Indiana.

Amare racked up 49 points on 17-for-21 shooting, all good shots, 11 boards, six assists, five steals and two blocks in the Suns’ 113-103 victory on Nov. 5.

His head was in the game throughout, and he played with an intensity that makes Suns fans wonder why he can’t bring that kind of effort every night.

OK, so he’s not putting up a 49-11-6-5-2 on 80 percent shooting every night, but this was the apex game that shows how well Amare can play.

Players always talk about the confidence they get when facing an opponent they’ve already torched, so expect Amare to be extra ready for this one after four days off.

I think everybody – players, coaches and most definitely fans – are ready for the Suns to get back to work after playing just four games since Dec. 21, and as head coach Terry Porter cautioned, the Suns will more than make up for that the rest of the month.

The rest should be helpful nonetheless to keep Shaq in the All-Star form he’s played at lately and to allow Steve Nash’s back time to rest.

The Suns certainly can’t sleep on an Indiana team that’s beaten both Boston and Lakers, but this is the fourth consecutive game the Suns should win.

Phoenix has jumped up to sixth in the West after a three-game winning streak and a load of days off, but it’s essential to wins games you should like this one with the Suns only a game ahead of ninth-place Utah.