LeBron James and Russell Westbrook Lead the Lakers Past Boston: Is This the "Signature" Win LA Needs?

The struggle has been real for the Lakers this season. Not enough wins, period, but virtually nothing against any of the NBA's decent-or-better squads. The closest thing LA had to a signature win going into Tuesday's matchup with the Celtics at Staples was one over Miami... who was missing Jimmy Butler for most of the contest. But Boston came in playing well, with an offense that was clicking big time, and after a hot start from Jayson Tatum, the Lakers shut the visitors down, rolling to a 117-102 win. There was a lot going on - LA's Big Three all showed up. LeBron James set a tone early and finished with 30 points. Russell Westbrook, who has been the best and most consistent Laker over the last couple weeks, was again excellent, with 25 points and 11 assists against only four turnovers. Anthony Davis had 17 points, but was active inside, led the Lakers with 16 rebounds and had two blocks. Frank Vogel leaned into his smaller lineups. The Lakers pushed pace, hard. So is this the win that jump starts the squad? Was Frank Vogel feeling quite as chesty after this one as he did when the Lakers beat down the Kings last week? Is the lineup we saw tonight the one that'll stick going forward, with Trevor Ariza sliding in once available? And how much of tonight's hyper-engaged performance from LeBron can be linked to his comments about Vogel and his job security? So much to discuss on one of the happiest nights of the year for Lakers fans, and the team, too. HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: Winning big feels nice. Winning big against the Celtics? EVEN BETTER! The Lakers played some serious D behind a very serious LeBron, and the results were strong. Is this the blueprint? SEGMENT 2: Westbrook continues to play well. Are we done talking about his struggles? Are the lineup choices Vogel made the ones we'll see going forward? SEGMENT 3: Asked this week about Vogel's work, LeBron didn't throw him under the bus, but he didn't exactly deliver a full-throated endorsement of him, either. What's going on here? 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. PrizePicks Don’t hesitate, check out PrizePicks.com and use promo code: “NBA” or go to your app store and download the app today. PrizePicks is daily fantasy made easy! TrueBill Don’t fall for subscription scams. Start cancelling today at Truebill.com/LOCKEDONNBA. Shopify Go to SHOPIFY.com/lockedonnba for a FREE fourteen-day trial and get full access to Shopify’s entire suite of features. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices