It's taken a while for the Lakers to climb out of the hole they dug at the start of the season, but they have officially emerged. For the first time since last January (the one in 2022) the Lakers are over .500, following an impressive 123-111 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis. Anthony Davis was dominant, again, with 38 points and 17 rebounds, leading the Lakers down the stretch despite a bum ankle that he says will not keep him out of Sunday's game in Houston. (We'll see about that.) But it was a genuine team effort. LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt -- basically everyone who suited up did something to contribute to Friday's win. The Lakers are now 14-7 following the trade deadline, despite not having LeBron around for a big chunk of those games. They've won the first two games of the road trip, get Houston on Sunday, and still have two games left against a fading Utah squad. The six seed is still live. But more importantly, this is looking like a team that nobody would want to play, assuming A.D. and LeBron stay healthy. HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 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 “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order. Ultimate Pro Basketball GM To download the game just visit probasketballgm.com or look it up on the app stores. Our listeners get a 100% free boost to their franchise when using the promo LOCKEDON (ALL CAPS) in the game store. PrizePicks First time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That’s PrizePicks.com – promo code; LOCKEDON FanDuel Make Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices