(Photo: REUTERS)New Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant participates in practice under new head coach Mike D'Antoni (not pictured) at the Lakers' training facility in El Segundo, California November 15, 2012.

Los Angeles Lakers vs Houston Rockets face off in the NBA Sunday Night game with both teams hoping to claim the win that will bring their records back level to .500. The game is scheduled to tip off at 9.30 p.m. ET and can be watched online through free live stream (details below).

Kobe Bryant and his team are coming into this game off the back of a strong win against the Phoenix Suns, where as the Rockets and James Harden most recently suffered a second loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

These two teams seem to be moving in different trajectories; for the Lakers they will be looking to win today to reach the .500 mark for the first time in a troubled opening to the season. That will be the first big mark and accomplishment goal for the new D'Antoni-coached era. Meanwhile the Rockets, after a strong start to the season with two straight wins, have lost five of their last seven games. They are sliding down the rankings and will be hoping to stop the rot with a good win over the Lakers tonight.

Tonight should mark the first time that D'Antoni takes to the Lakers' bench. Their last result has apparently shown that he is already having a impact, and Lakers fans will be hoping that upward trajectory can continue.

D'Antoni said on Thursday after taking over earlier in the week, "This is a great city to have an up-tempo, exciting game that has a legitimate shot to win a championship. I can't ask for anything more."

LA Lakers' former coach Mike Brown was fired after the team's poor 1-4 start to the campaign, and D'Antoni was hired on Monday. It was reported that he ran practice for the first time on Thursday and was already seen implementing his free-flowing style of basketball. However, he did not take to the bench against the Suns on Friday night. That game marked an immediate impact for D'Antoni's arrival and was the highest scoring game of the season, finishing 114-102.

This will be an important game for both 4-5 teams, and should be a high-scoring and exciting encounter.

Los Angeles Lakers vs Houston Rockets tips off at 9.30 p.m. ET and can be watched online through free live stream by clicking here.