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Kobe on ending Warriors' undefeated streak: 'I've seen stranger things happen'

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Golden State Warriors tied an NBA record with their 15th-straight victory to open the season on Sunday night against the Denver Nuggets. To claim the record for their own, they'll need to go through the lowly 2-11 Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on Tuesday.

It would be an upset of epic proportions should the Lakers somehow manage to put a halt to the defending NBA champion's winning ways. Los Angeles has the league's third-worst defense (106.6 points allowed per 100 possessions), so trying to stop Warriors No. 1 offense (111.8 points per 100 possessions) will be a tall order indeed.

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has been around the block over the course of his 20-year career with the franchise. He's endured the highest of highs, lowest of lows, seen his fair share of shocking moments, and gone head-to-head with some of the greatest players to ever hit the hardwood. The Black Mamba isn't short on confidence, either, but even he believes his squad's chances of knocking off the champs aren't that great, especially considering how poor Los Angeles has been playing as of late.

"I've seen stranger things happen," Bryant said following his team's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, according to ESPN's Baxter Holmes. "We've been playing like s---. We might go up there and we might play like gangbusters up there. You never know."

Bryant's numbers, in what may be his final year in the league, are far from inspiring, with 16.3 points per game on 33.1 percent shooting his lowest numbers since his sophomore season, excluding the 2013-14 campaign when he suited up for just six games. The 37-year-old hasn't shied away from acknowledging how he's been in pain, either, especially with his bad back and aching knees.

The Lakers will need Bryant at his absolute best, though, if they want any shot of giving Luke Walton's roster a run for its money. Then again, it was just last season when Los Angeles managed to beat the Warriors without the services of the 17-time All-Star, riding strong outings from Carlos Boozer and Ronnie Price to pick up the win.

See? Stranger things have happened.

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