WATCH Thunder vs. Lakers Live Stream Online: NBA 2016 Conference Rankings, Playoff Updates

Basketball's back for the official 2015-2016 NBA season, so get ready, MstarsNews readers!

The Oklahoma City Thunder battle it out on the court against the Los Angeles Lakers in Week 10 of the regular season on Friday, January 8 at 10:30 p.m. EST from the Staples Center in California. Read on to see where fans can watch and listen to a live stream of the highly-anticipated Friday evening basketball game online and catch up-to-date feeds and coverage on highlight plays and scores.

Now heading into mid-season, Oklahoma City maintains an impressive top spot in Marc Stein's official NBA power rankings for ESPN.com, while LA still lags way behind (out of a total 30 teams):

Thunder (3): "The media's obsession with Golden State, as well as the tendency to focus on Cleveland and San Antonio on those rare occasions our eyes do stray, has surely been a welcome development for Billy Donovan, giving the rookie coach extra time to settle in out of the spotlight. Very quietly: OKC is 13-2 since Dec. 6... and a tidy 16-2 overall against the West."

Record: 25-11 (3rd in Western Conference).

Lakers (28): "Your latest flurry of Kobe Bryant headlines: Kobe awarded hunk of Garden parquet on final trip to Boston. Lakers win two in a row without Kobe to spark fears of blowing their chances at the No. 1 pick. Severity of Kobe's latest bout with shoulder trouble uncertain. Franchise deliberating whether to retire Kobe's No. 24... or his No. 8... or both."

Record: 8-29 (15th in Western Conference).

Tonight's game will be broadcasted live on local sports channels ESPN, FSOK, and TWSN.

For fans who want to try out a free live stream (which may mean downloading a torrent), click here. Also try this or another option.

Also check out NBA TV for more schedules and game updates.

ESPN, ESPN Scoreboard, and NBA.com are all good sources for up-to-date game coverage and feeds.

More radio listening options for Thunder and Lakers.

Official NHL team websites: Thunder and Lakers.

Enjoy the exciting b-ball game from Cali this evening, and always stick with MstarsNews for additional NBA gameday coverage this week. Which Western rival will snag the big win tonight?