The Los Angeles Lakers (9-10) will once again look to reach the .500 mark on Friday night when they face off against the red-hot Oklahoma City Thunder (15-4). Kobe Bryant is coming off a milestone game as he became just the fifth player in the NBA's history to score over 30,000 points.

Nonetheless, he will more than likely face a challenge in the Thunder's Kevin Durant, who should eventually be in the midst of the well-respected list. Both of the superstars are currently the top scorers in the NBA.

Oklahoma City will enter the matchup on the heels of a six-game winning streak, a season-high for the team. The Thunder will clash against the Lakers for the first time since the two teams met in the playoffs last season.

On Wednesday night, Bryant continued his case as one of the game's greatest players in the history of the game when he racked up 29 points in a 103-87 Lakers victory over the New Orleans Hornets. Kobe was given a congratulatory handshake by NBA commissioner David Stern prior to joining a scoring ranks category that includes the likes of Michael Jordon, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

"It's pretty awesome. These are players I respect tremendously and obviously grew up idolizing and watching and learned a great deal from," Bryant told ESPN.

Interesting enough, Durant, who is only 24-years-old, actually grew up watching the 34-year-old Bryant. Oklahoma City's star became the second youngest player to reach 10,000 points in the opening game of this season, but is still amazed by Kobe.

"I know he's an old fart. Since I was about 8 years old, watching him dominate every year he's been in the league, it's been a joy to watch. It was just an honor and a blessing to play on his team this summer in the Olympics," he said.

CLICK HERE to watch the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Oklahoma City Thunder via free live stream. Coverage of the game will begin at 7:30 p.m. CST on Friday, Dec. 7.

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NBA, Los angeles lakers