Nuggets Vs. Lakers: Denver Looks To Cool Kobe Bryant, L.A. In Huge Western Showdown

With the exception of the Chicago Bulls, no two teams in the NBA have been hotter since All-Star Weekend than the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets. The Lakers are 17-1 since Kobe Bryant won MVP honors at the All-Star Game, losing only to the Miami Heat despite a tough schedule through late February and March. The Nuggets have gone 14-4 since the break, which also happened to be the point at which Denver executed a massive trade sending Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to the New York Knicks.

That trade was seen by many as a concession of sorts by Denver. Instead, the deal has made the Nuggets a simply incredible offensive team that still has a strong defensive frontcourt, as George Karl has reveled in his new-found depth. As Anthony and the Knicks struggle, the Nuggets have thrived with Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Raymond Felton augmenting the pre-existing Denver core (minus 'Melo and Billups).

Denver has beaten the Celtics and Spurs since the trade, but the Lakers are playing at another level right now, and Sunday's game (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) provides the Nuggets' greatest post-trade test. Staples Center should be as loud as Staples Center ever gets, and Kobe in particular will be eager to throw some ice water on Denver's momentum. As seeding currently stands, the teams wouldn't meet up in the NBA playoffs until the Western Conference finals; if, however, the Lakers catch the Spurs for the No. 1 seed, the teams could meet up in the conference semifinals. The Nuggets will likely face the Thunder in the second round.