And who better to test your strength and will to win against than the NBA's best team?
Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers will be hosting perennial MVP candidate Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder in a game whose outcome could likely spell out the remainder of the season for both teams.
The Thunder have been on a roll, to say the least. They have the league's best record at 34-10 (a .773 winning percentage) and don't look as though they'll be slowing down any time soon.
The Lakers, on the other hand, haven't been as fortunate.
At 18-25, Los Angeles is currently tied with the floundering Dallas Mavericks for a .419 winning percentage. But after an impressive statement win over the Utah Jazz on Friday night, 102-84, the Lakers are looking to make a mid-season surge to one of the bottom seeds of the playoffs.
But if they're going to make that push, it'll have to start tonight against the league's deadliest team.
What To Watch For:
Who's going to guard Russell Westbrook?
Aside from Kobe Bryant, the Lakers don't have a single person who can put a stop to Russell Westbrook. Mike D'Antoni isn't the best at crafting defenses, and Steve Nash may easily be the worst starting point guard in the NBA from a defensive standpoint.
Westbrook has killed the Lakers so far this season. In their two games against each other, he's torched L.A.'s guards for an average of 30 points, nine assists and 1.5 steals. If the Lake Show is going to make it to the big dance—the playoffs, in this picture—they'll have to find a way to cool off younger, quicker, more explosive guards. And it all starts tonight with Russell Westbrook.
Will Kobe continue to...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
