Style points, and the demand for them, have been outlawed on the Locked On Lakers podcast. Which is good, because Tuesday's win over Sacramento wasn't long on them. The Lakers didn't shoot the ball particularly well, and they didn't defend particularly well, either. But they didn't give the ball away to a subpar Sacramento team - only five turnovers total - that needs some favors to be competitive on any given night. Only one first half turnover for the team overall, and none at all from Russell Westbrook! Who didn't have one the entire game, the first time that's happened in a regular season since 2016.

Then LeBron James (14 points) and Malik Monk (11 points) took over in the fourth quarter and put the game away, delivering L.A. its third straight win. Badly needed ones, too, over weak opponents chasing them in the standings.

With that in mind, what should fans feel good about? Where should they worry? LeBron's play continues to marvel, and Monk is truly settling into a role where he can (should?) be more a focus offensively in late game situations than Westbrook. And Talen Horton-Tucker had his best game in a long, long while. Plus, Dwight Howard! Frank Vogel used him against a Kings squad that refused to play along with the Lakers' small lineups, and Howard's 20 minutes were incredibly impactful.

The Lakers aren't anywhere near where they need to go, but are taking care of business for the time being. That's about as much as can be expected, night to night.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers beat Sacramento because they took care of the ball. Funny how that works.

SEGMENT 2: Talen Horton-Tucker and Dwight Howard played big roles in the win. Are they going to be big pieces going forward?

SEGMENT 3: Is Malik Monk a better fourth quarter option offensively than Westbrook?

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