The Los Angeles Lakers (30-30) will face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder (43-16) at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on Tuesday night.

Despite being in the middle of his 17th season in the NBA, Kobe Bryant hasn't lost any of his competitive juices, which is a huge reason for the team's resurgence back to the .500 -mark.

If Bryant is able to help the team continue on its winning path and get Los Angeles into the playoffs, there's a good possibility that Tuesday night's road game with the Thunder could very well be a first-round preview.

Kobe put up 34 points, which included the go-ahead layup with only nine seconds left in play, as the Lakers beat the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday to get themselves to the break-even mark in the win-loss column. The last time the club was even in victories and defeats was on Dec. 28 when they were 15-15.

"It was more of a message to my team here to kind of have that will, that hunger, to push through it by any means necessary," Bryant said. "It's just a challenge. The fun comes in the challenge, and we're up for it. I think we're starting to get a groove a little bit," Bryant told ESPN.

For those who have access to NBA LEAGUE PASS or would like to sign up, simply CLICK HERE to watch the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Oklahoma City Thunder via live stream. Coverage of the NBA game is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. PST on Tuesday, March 5.