Following the Los Angeles Lakers‘ win over the Chicago Bulls last Wednesday, Anthony Davis revealed the theme of their ongoing five-game road trip: revenge.

“We call it a ‘get back' trip,” said Davis. “Every team on this trip had beat us the last time we played them.”

Obviously, Davis is correct. The Lakers lost to the Bulls at home last week and fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz, and Los Angeles Clippers in previous matchups.

Powered by Davis, the Lakers have validated their rallying cry. Here's how the road trip has gone thus far:

  • Lakers 121, Bulls 110. AD: 38 points (13-20 FG), 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
  • Lakers 123, Timberwolves 111. AD: 38 points (15-26 FG), 17 rebounds, 2 blocks
  • Lakers 134, Rockets 109. AD: 40 points (15-20 FG), 9 rebounds, 2 blocks. It was the Lakers 10th win in their last 14 games.

“He's a phenomenal basketball player,” said Austin Reaves (18 points, 8 assists) after the Rockets win. “He's able to set the tone early and carry a team … When AD comes out and does what AD did tonight and the last three games … Yeah, he’s been phenomenal. If he continues to do this, we’ll be a problem.”

Reaves' future tense is unnecessary. The Lakers are a problem. Now.

“Just having fun playing the game,” said Davis. “I know what's at stake for us and just trying to do my part as one of the leaders of the team. My job is to go out there and make everybody else's job easier with my scoring, defense, and rebounding… I tried to come out with an aggressive mindset and try to dominate each possession.”

The Lakers are 15-7 since the trade deadline and 5-0 when AD, LeBron James, and D'Angelo Russell suit up together. (Russell left the game at halftime with left foot soreness, though Darvin Ham said the move was precautionary and he could have played through it.)

“Mentally, we're at a great space,” added Reaves. “Since the trade deadline, I feel like we've played really really good basketball. We've jelled together.”

LeBron (18 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists) tied Jason Kidd for No. 4 on the all-time regular-season triple-doubles list (107) and had his spryest showing since returning from his foot injury.

Rui Hachimura shined for the second straight outing — this time on both ends, after his stellar defensive effort in Minnesota. Hachimura had 20 points (10-14 FG), 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 25 minutes off the bench. His activity level was an X-factor. He earned multiple transition dunks from beating the Rockets down the floor and even had a few impressive rejections at the rim.

“Game ball definitely goes to Rui for sure,” said LeBron. “He was all over the floor not only offensively, but defensively.”

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Yes, it's the Rockets, who didn't exactly put forth a formidable resistance. The Lakers shot 56% from the field and had a season-high 36 assists on 52 buckets against just 5 turnovers. Still, the Lakers are undeniably running off AD's supremacy, positive vibes, and a newfound winning culture.

“We're locked in,” said Davis. “We're finding out groove right now at the right time. … We're getting greedy. We're not satisfied. … We think we can come in and compete against any team.”

LeBron is already thinking beyond just a playoff berth.

“We want to be on the floor together and make magic. (AD's) definitely making magic right now for sure. … We just want to put ourselves in a position to be able to compete for a championship,

The road trip, which will conclude with Jazz-Clippers B2B on Tuesday and Wednesday, has turned into more than just an opportunity to “get back” at their opponents. Davis and the Lakers are using it to get right back to where they once belonged: the playoffs.

“We always said we wanted to get stronger as the season gets longer and be playing basketball at the right time,” said Ham. “Well, the time is definitely right and everybody's in a good rhythm. Starting with (AD), first and foremost. He understands wholeheartedly what we need him to do … Definitely not settling. Being in attack mode the entire time … That energy, that rhythm is trickling down to the rest of our roster.”

Following Sunday's win in Houston (the 3,500th in franchise history) and losses by the Timberwolves, Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Golden State Warriors, the Lakers (40-38) ended the weekend tied in the loss column for the No. 5 seed in the West.