LOS ANGELES — The Charlotte Hornets didn’t want Malik Monk last summer.
They drafted him with the 11th overall pick four years earlier but let him walk after his contract expired. There were bursts on offense throughout his Charlotte career but not enough consistency.
Fine with the Lakers.
They signed him to a one-year contract last August and continued to reap the benefits Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena.
Monk scored 24 points and had a game-turning fourth quarter in the Lakers’ 122-114 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
He burned the Kings with six three-pointers on the night, he beat them with some impressive isolation drives and he found Dwight Howard for a flurry of dunks along the way.
It’s safe to say Monk has flourished since joining the starting lineup almost two weeks ago, averaging 20.8 points in five games.
He had plenty of help from a guy named LeBron James, who scored 31 points and added five assists. James was strong when it mattered too, scoring two late baskets to help the Lakers erase what was a seven-point deficit with eight minutes to play.
The Lakers (20-19) won a third consecutive game, a rarity in an up-and-down season.
Monk frustrated the Kings in many ways, especially down the stretch. On one notable possession, he sized up a Kings defender for several seconds in an isolation, spun and pulled up in the lane for a teardrop shot that gave the Lakers a 109-108 lead with 3:31 to play.
His three-pointer less than a minute later put the Lakers up for good, 112-110. He drilled another two three-pointers earlier in the quarter.
“His minutes are going up and up and up,” Lakers Coach Frank Vogel said, adding that Monk was “a big part of this little mini-win streak we have going on.”
The Lakers were careful with the ball and committed only five turnovers. None of them came from Russell Westbrook, whose high-octane style can lead to several a game. Westbrook finished with 19 points and a relatively low two assists.
The Lakers (20-19) went small ball again and started James a third consecutive game but it wasn’t long before center Howard got off the bench.
Howard’s return to the rotation after a two-game hiatus was successful from the start. He had 12 points and eight rebounds in the first half and scored on a series of lobs from Monk. Howard finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds.
“We needed this win tonight to keep this winning streak going,” he told Spectrum SportsNet. “I just do what is asked of me when my number is called. It’s been tough from game to game, not knowing if you’re going to play, not knowing if you’re going to get minutes…but it’s all about sacrifice.”
The Kings (15-23) are like a lightning strike, if not a shark attack. You never quite know who’s going to have a good game for them on a given night, but somebody’s guaranteed to go off.
They’re also not very good.
De’Aaron Fox had the hot hand Tuesday, as did Buddy Hield off the bench, but there was not enough defense, as usual.
The Lakers were in a soft part of their schedule with three of their next four games against teams with losing records.
Then again, they’d been here before — their first 15 games were mostly at home and against teams not expected to make playoffs. The Lakers went only 8-7 during that span.
This shorter schedule stretch started off well for them. And for Monk, in particular.
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