LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers were hit with bad news over the weekend when it was revealed that Austin Reaves had suffered a calf injury. While Austin Reaves’ injury is considered day-to-day, it kept him sidelined for the Lakers’ 108-102 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday and will keep him out for the team’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. But in Reaves’ absence, it’s been Gabe Vincent who has stepped into the starting lineup for the Lakers.
Gabe Vincent replaced Reaves in the Lakers’ starting lineup for Sunday’s Clippers game, and it’s likely he will remain with the starters against the Pelicans on Tuesday.
Following the Lakers’ most recent win against the Clippers, Vincent spoke about how his role evolves moving into the starting lineup in place of Reaves.
“It’s just trying to be ready to play-make a little more I think. Just depending on how the game flow and the game was going,” Vincent said. “If Bron and Luka are on the court at the same time. If I need to touch the paint and spray, stuff like that. For the most part, it was a game of more minutes for me.”
Vincent finished that game with a well-rounded stat-line of nine points, three rebounds, two assists, one steal and one blocked shot. He may have only shot 3-of-10 from the field, but he was 3-of-6 from the three-point line.
In the Lakers’ back-to-back wins against the Clippers, Vincent also provided strong defense on both Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.
Lakers depth shined in wins vs. Clippers
Aside from Vincent, the rest of the Lakers depth stepped up in a big way as the team was down two starters in Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura.
With Vincent and Dorian Finney-Smith moved into the starting lineup, the second unit, in particular Jarred Vanderbilt, Trey Jemison and Jordan Goodwin, gave the Lakers what Luka Doncic referred to as, “life.” The Lakers used a lineup they had never run all season in LeBron James, Vincent, Vanderbilt, Jemison and Goodwin.
“They inspired us to play faster, to play harder, so thanks to them we won the game,” Vincent said. “They gave us life to this game. . .when the second group with Bron came out, they pushed the ball, they defended, they showed how we needed to play. So without them we don’t win this game.”
In the second game against the Clippers, it was Dalton Knecht who also shined off the bench. He finished that game with 19 points and four rebounds while shooting 7-of-10 from the field and 5-of-8 from the three-point line.
For what was once considered an area of weakness for the Lakers, their depth has risen to the occasion during the final stretch of the regular season. The Lakers are currently the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
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