Before the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Miami Heat, it was uncertain who would step up to power any potential win.
With LeBron James out against a potential title contender, the Lakers had just Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis to carry the load, which hasn’t always produced great results.
Considering Miami’s elite defense, someone other than those two needed to help in a major way.
That player ended up being Malik Monk, who dropped 27 points in 35 minutes off the bench; he shot 10-of-13 overall and 4-of-7 from deep. Monk made timely baskets from deep and inside the arc and was arguably the best player in the game.
After the game, Monk discussed his scoring mindset after dueling with Miami’s Tyler Herro, who also scored 27 points off the bench (h/t: Harrison Faigen of SB Nation):
Malik Monk, on his scoring duel with Tyler Herro:
"I wasn't matching, man. I was just playing basketball. He just happened to be in front of me. He's a great player… but I'm trying to kill everybody in front of me."
— Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) November 11, 2021
Monk has hit double-digit scoring figures in the last three games, so the Lakers must hope he can keep performing well as a secondary creator in various lineups.
