Where would the Los Angeles Lakers be without Carmelo Anthony?

Probably a season-worst 24-28, mired in a four-game losing skid, and three games up on the Portland Trail Blazers for the no. 10 — 10! — seed in the Western Conference.

Instead, following an ugly, but crucial (coincidentally, the name of my next '90s alt-emo album) 99-94 win over the Blazers at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday — thanks in large part to Melo's 24 points off the bench — the Lakers are back on the victory path and firmly ensconced in Play-In range.

They'll take it. Threes to the dome. As Frank Vogel said after shootaround on Tuesday, they just needed a dub.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3YyYUwMZsLM1wZsFmmFkqs?si=3e73f5ac787044bd

The Lakers are playing without LeBron James, who is nursing a left knee injury. It's anybody's guess when he'll return. He's experienced “general swelling”, and he won't play until that subsides. He's getting treatment with his own medical staff away from the team facility. After the Portland win, the Lakers are 6-10 without the King this season.

To be fair, Anthony Davis, appropriately, led the Lakers to victory. He continued his triumphant play since returning from an MCL sprain, dropping 30 points and 15 rebounds, including numerous “I'm-not-letting-us-lose-boards” down the stretch.

However, it was Melo who kept them afloat.

For all the debate around Russell Westbrook's value, it's the collateral damage of the trade that is arguably more detrimental. Taking on Russ' behemoth contract forced the Lakers — whose only goal is to win a title — to fill out their roster with players on minimum contracts. They've batted under .500 on those minimum signings, even when you include undrafted rookie Austin Reaves, 10-day pick-up Stanley Johnson, and still-for-some-reason starter Avery Bradley, who was inked out of desperation the hours before opening night.

Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan's inconsistent performance has caused the Lakers to reform their identity away from the center position. Wayne Ellington and Trevor Ariza are out of the rotation. Rajon Rondo was traded. Kent Bazemore might be next.

Only two of the August minimum signings can be considered successful: Malik Monk, and Anthony.

On Wednesday, Monk, coming off a 33-point outing vs. the Atlanta Hawks, shot 2-0f-10. Westbrook was 3-of-12. Most of the supporting cast were non-factors.

Never fear, the Lakers' other 19-year veteran is here.

Carmelo drilled 8-of-12 from the field, including 5-0f-6 from deep in 33 minutes. He pulled down eight rebounds and led the team with a +15. He was cooking from the midrange.

The 37-year old was even 1-for-1 on…alley-oops?

Afterward, his colleagues repeatedly praised his contributions — not just on Wednesday, nor the offensive end.

“LeBron gets a lot of credit for what he’s doing in Year 19 but I don’t think enough people are talking about what Carmelo is doing in Year 19,” Vogel said. “It really is remarkable. He was terrific tonight…He was scoring the basketball. We had some coverages we were trying to work out down the stretch in the fourth. He was right on top of all the stuff. Communicating it. Talking some of our guys through where they need to be. The IQ and the leadership and the desire. The desire to win. The competitive spirit was great. His shot-making is fun to watch and he’s a big part of the win tonight.”

Anthony doesn't always have it. When his legs aren't fully there or his shot isn't falling, the negatives — mainly his slowness on defense and lack of versatility — outweighs the positives.

But that usually isn't the case (he has a +1.5 net rating). Plus, as has been evident since Game 1, his triples at home just … hit different. And for all his shortcomings on defense, his garrulousness and intelligence have been oft-complimented.

Still, when the NBA's ninth all-time leading scorer is feeling it, there are few humans in the history of civilization who can relate.

“I honestly can’t explain that,” he told my Lakers Multiverse co-host Cooper Halpern about his hot hand. “It’s hard to get you to understand that. If you’ve never felt that, it’s hard to tell you what zone that is or what it feels like out there on the court. It’s a good feeling. Things are clicking, things are going the right way, everything feels like it’s aligned. It’s not just in the game. The whole day just felt like I was floating today. I don’t know why. It was just one of those days you wake up, you feel good, maybe rested from the long road trip. That could’ve helped too. Also understanding the implications of our games now – we have to step up and try to win these games.”

Anthony is averaging 13.4 points on 38% shooting from downtown. His stature and popularity can instantly juice up an arena and change the game — simply by running to the scorer's table and removing his hoodie. However, it's his steadiness — in presence, in communication, in leadership — that has proven vital to a teetering Lakers group. I'd say that's worth a minimum deal.