Anthony Davis and Carmelo Anthony (and Rajon Rondo!) Deliver a Critical Win for the Lakers vs. Charlotte

After Saturday's nakedly dispirited and lethargic loss to the Trail Blazers in Portland, the Lakers desperately needed to get themselves back in the win column Monday against Charlotte, even without LeBron James (among others). But just as importantly, they needed to just compete again, regardless of the results. As it turned out, both directives happened. The night wasn't especially pretty or composed, and required overtime, but at the end of the day, this 126-123 win offered reassurance that these Lakers aren't completely down on themselves. There was a superstar performance from Anthony Davis (29 points, 12 rebounds, five blocks), who played through a sprained thumb and the lingering effects of a stomach bug. (Dude threw up again during the game.) Carmelo Anthony continues to scorch the nets at Staples Center, putting up 29 points and drilling SEVEN shots from distance. And before getting ejected on a sketchy flagrant-2 call, Rajon Rondo did some brilliant play-making off the bench, setting up basket after basket for Davis. There are still *plenty* of issues to fix, and against opponents better than the slumping Hornets, the Lakers' effort likely wouldn't have been enough. But for the time being, the bleeding has been stopped, and that was extremely important. Hosts: Andy and Brian and Kamenetzky SEGMENT ONE: A huge, superstar performance from Anthony Davis. SEGMENT TWO: Safe to say, the Lakers would be lost without Melo. SEGMENT THREE: Some health updates on LeBron James and Talen Horton-Tucker, plus thoughts on Rajon Rondo's "break in case of emergency" importance on this team. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15” and you’ll get 15% off your next order. BetOnline AG There is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus. Rock Auto Amazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices