The reserve who's been the subject of trade rumblings went off on the Lakers inside the Golden 1 Center.
Malik Monk flamed the Los Angeles Lakers with not one, or two, but seven three-pointers in the 124-112 Sacramento Kings upset on Monday night.
Monk received an uptick in minutes amid Dennis Schroeder being suspended by the league -- as he sat out his second contest in a three-game suspension.
Monk carried the load off the bench -- and amid hearing trade chatter since December.
The veteran showed the hot hand right out the gate, scoring 18 points and nailing five baskets from behind the arc.
Monk even was two assists away from a double-double. He delivered his scoring reign in 32 minutes of play. Monk received the most minutes off the bench via head coach Doug Christie.
Fans, though, still wondered if this could be a farewell tour for the beloved member of the Kings. He's one of the last remaining members from their playoff run which ended a 16-season postseason drought. But his name rose as a trade possibility before Christmas. Now his breakout night either will please his next team or convince Scott Perry and Christie to keep him longer.
The sixth man wasn't the only big scorer on the floor, though.
DeMar DeRozan went into attack mode, even with LeBron James defending him.
The NBA veteran dropped a team-high 32 on the Lakers and pulled off the feat in 37 minutes. But he scored 20 in the final two quarters to help increase the lead for Sacramento.
L.A. came out hot at the start of the first -- building a 19-10 lead. Russell Westbrook sparked the rally with his driving layup. Luka Doncic hit a 26-foot jump shot to make it 22-14. But the Kings ignited through a 7-0 run that culminated in Keon Ellis hitting a 23-foot three-pointer. Zach LaVine followed by tallying nine points between the 1:57 and 15.7 seconds mark.
Sacramento eventually increased the lead to 20 before the Lakers tried to dig themselves out of the hole the Kings created. But the Kings light up the beam in the end.
Westbrook ended with 22 points, LaVine dropped 19 while Maxime Raynaud scored 11. Sacramento now takes a rest day before hosting the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
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