Still being at the top of the Western Conference, the Lakers continue their dominance as they managed to win seven of their last nine. Trying to steal one on the road, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers will head to Portland to face the shorthanded Blazers at Rose Garden on Sunday at 3 a.m. GMT.

Considering the amount of injuries Portland suffered over the last two months, the performance of coach Nate McMillan's squad has certainly been remarkable. More precisely, the Blazers are still holding on to a playoff spot in the tough Northwest Division as they rallied to a 30-22 record. In fact, the franchise from Oregon is currently playing without franchise centerpiece Brandon Roy, starting center Greg Oden, backup center Joel Przybilla, guard Nicolas Batum and swingman Rudy Fernandez. Nonetheless, the Trail Blazers were able to win three of their last four, led by veteran point guard Andre Miller who recorded a career high 52-points in a road win in Dallas.

The Lakers on the other hand do not have to worry much about injuries these days and have been looking like the title contender they want to be thus far. Posting an impressive 38-12 record after four months of play, L.A. Leads the Western Conference with a comfortable 4.5 game lead over the second placed Denver Nuggets. Being one of the few teams that plays equally well on both ends of the floor, the Lakers have certainly benefited from the addition of Ron Artest who brought some more defensive toughness to Staples Center. Likewise, Pau Gasol is having another great year as the Spanish All-Star forward put up 17.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.6 blocks per contest. Taking everything into account, it looks like Kobe Bryant and company will enter their encounter with the Blazers as favorites to come away with a win on Sunday night. Albeit Portland has played exceptionally well despite their injuries, the Lakers will most likely be too much to deal with at the end of the day.

You can watch all games of the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers right here on www.watchlivenba.com, the home of NBA live streaming.