NBA PREVIEW: Lakers vs. Oklahoma City (Sunday, 2:30 PM EST; TV: ABC)

The Lakers look like a fresh new team, and that's bad news for the other Western Conference contenders.

When the Oklahoma City Thunder (36-21) host the Lakers (41-19) at Oklahoma City Arena on Sunday, perhaps the two best teams in the West will go head-to-head along with perhaps the two best players in the NBA.

The Lakers have won their last three games since the All-Star break, including an overtime victory against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden, a place the Lakers have struggled at since the arena opened in 1995.

The Thunder have lost their last two road games against teams who are also in the hunt to go to the NBA Finals: the Orlando Magic, and the San Antonio Spurs.

A loss to the Lakers on Sunday would mean the first three-game losing streak for the Thunder all season.

The Thunder are led by Kevin Durant, the NBA's leading scorer. Durant's numbers are down a bit from last season, but he's still likely to win the scoring title like he did last season.

Now he's joined by defensive center Kendrick Perkins, and speedy point guard Nate Robinson, two players picked up at the trade deadline. The Thunder have their eyes on going deep in the playoffs and acquiring Perkins means they care about slowing down a big man like the Lakers' Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol.

The Lakers are led by Kobe Bryant, who poured in 37 points against the Blazers on Wednesday, and shot 10 for 16 from the field against the Clippers.

In their only meeting of the season, the Lakers defeated the Thunder 101-94 at Staples Center, with Durant leading all scorers with 32 points.

The teams also met in a first-round playoff series last season, with Los Angeles winning it in six games.