The Washington Wizards play host to the Los Angeles Lakers at Capital One Arena on Sunday.

The Lakers (9-12) have been the talk of the NBA for all the wrong reasons this season, but they're starting to turn things around. They come into this matchup winning seven of their last nine games, with one of those defeats being a fourth-quarter collapse. The most recent win was the one that has fans encouraged, beating the Milwaukee Bucks on the road. That's something almost no team has done this season, and it's exciting watching LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook all play well together. Davis has been especially good, averaging nearly 40 points and 15 rebounds over the last two weeks. If he can keep playing like that, the wins and MVP votes will likely keep coming.

The Wizards (11-11) looked like one of the best teams in the east two weeks ago, but they come into this matchup losing five of their last six games. That has the Wiz back to .500, but that's still better than most people anticipated at the beginning of the season. It's hard to understand why people were sleeping on this team because the threesome of Bradley Beal, Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis is as good as any other in the league. All three of those guys have been incredible so far this season, but one injury could derail them. That's why many people still think Washington is in rebuild mode, but one more addition could make them a legitimate contender as well.

These teams split their two meetings last season, with the home team winning both outings.