The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to get injured guard Gabe Vincent back imminently, according to head coach JJ Redick.
“[He’s] hoping to practice tomorrow, will be modified [on injury report],” Redick said after Friday’s 128-121 win over the Grizzlies, via ClutchPoints’ David Yapkowitz.
“We’re hoping he’s available for one of the games on the road trip. But again, we’ve got to get exposure to live play. With the travel day on Monday, it’s going to be tough.”
When Will Gabe Vincent Return?
Vincent, out of action with a back strain since Dec. 14, could return during the back-to-back games against the New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday and Wednesday, per Redick’s postgame sound.
Before his injury, Vincent averaged 21.5 minutes per game, besides starting six games for Redick’s team, specifically during Luka Doncic’s early-season injury absence. He was also in many of the Lakers’ closing lineups due to his ability to guard the opponent’s best perimeter threats and knock down shots in the clutch.
As the primary defender, Vincent held Anthony Edwards (40%) Klay Thompson (33%) and Keyonte George (33%) to below-average numbers, earning valuable minutes for the Lakers. He also took Marcus Smart’s place in certain lineups due to his ability to shoot, having made 1.2 threes per game at a decent clip of 37% before his injury.
Lakers Face Tough Schedule
With Austin Reaves (grade 2 calf strain) sidelined for at least a month, the Lakers could definitely use Vincent in either a starting or a bench role. In their last two games, the Lakers started Jake LaRavia and Smart to fill in for injured starters Rui Hachimura and Reaves. With Hachimura and Vincent expected back soon, Redick could tinker with his lineups again, possibly even relegating Smart back to a second-unit role.
The Lakers have an extremely taxing schedule that awaits them in January, with 10 of their remaining 15 games on the road. This tough slate includes an eight-game road trip between Jan. 20 and Feb. 2, which includes stops in Denver, Dallas, Chicago, Cleveland and New York. Prior to that stretch, they have away games against the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs, the resurgent Pelicans and the gritty Portland Trail Blazers.
The win over the Grizzlies on Tuesday was definitely a boost for a team that had lost seven of its previous 12 games in December, including six of its last 10. The back-and-forth game saw the Lakers outscore the Grizzlies 32-25 in the fourth quarter to pull away with the win, maintaining their 11-0 record in clutch games this season.
LeBron James (31 points, nine rebounds, six assists) praised the team effort for the win.
“We made some big-time plays offensively and we were sharing the ball, and guys made some big-time shots,” James said, via LATimes’ Broderick Turner.
“Vando’s three, Jake’s three on the other side of their bench at the end of the shot clock, Jax had a big-time dunk down the middle. So, those are key moments. And then defensively, we were able to get a couple shots, get a couple rebounds. That allowed us to kind of start pushing the lead up.”
The Lakers (21-11) will host the Grizzlies (15-19) again on Sunday night. A win will move them a game away from reclaiming the fourth seed in the West.
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