Gabe Vincent leads from three in Lakers’ preseason rout
Gabe Vincent pulled up for a 3-pointer and hit it. And then Vincent nailed his next three, his next three and his next, giving him four straight threes.
Vincent was excited to start the game for the Lakers during their exhibition game against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night at T-Mobile Arena.
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Before Vincent could even think about hitting his fifth 3-pointer, Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg smothered him. Vincent stumbled and fell, struggling to maintain control of the ball. He did so and passed it to a teammate.
When Vincent stood up and took the ball back, the fans started shouting, “Shooot!” So, Vincent did, hitting his fifth 3-pointer off the outstretched hand of the 6-9 Flagg, drawing more cheers from the pro-Lakers crowd.
Vincent was fouled on his sixth three-point attempt, sending him to the free throw line for three free throws, all made. That gave Vincent 18 points in what seemed like a blitz in the first quarter.
Read more: LeBron out, Luka in: where the Lakers are one week from opening night
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He missed his next two or three attempts, but that didn’t seem to matter to the crowd. Vincent had put on a show.
Vincent finished the game with 22 points on 6-of-15 shooting and 6-of-11 three-pointers during the Lakers’ 121-94 loss to the Mavericks that saw LA outscore 37-8 in the fourth quarter.
He was part of the Lakers’ starting group of Rui Hachimura (19 points), Jaxson Hayes (12 points, 10 rebounds), Jarred Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht. None of them played in the game Tuesday night in Phoenix.
Vanderbilt was having an all-around game until he was forced out late in the second quarter with a left quadriceps contusion after banging his left knee on a Mavericks defender. He limped up and down the court, but was still able to score on a dunk after getting injured and drilled a 3-pointer.
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But with five minutes and 39 seconds left in the second quarter, Vanderbilt limped back to the Lakers’ locker room and never returned to play. He had five points, seven rebounds and four assists in 13 minutes.
Read more: JJ Redick isn’t overly concerned about the Lakers’ on-court chemistry
The five Lakers starters who played against the Suns — Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia — did not play in back-to-back games against the Mavericks, Doncic’s former team that traded him to the Lakers in February. Lakers coach JJ Redick said Bronny James didn’t play because of a sprained ankle.
The Lakers finish their preseason against the Sacramento Kings on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena, and from the looks of it, Doncic and those who didn’t play against the Mavericks will play against the Suns.
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“And then Friday, yeah, the plan is to have another dress rehearsal and probably have most of our guys play,” Redick said before the game. “I don’t know the total minutes, but that’s the plan.”
The Lakers open the regular season Tuesday against the Golden State Warriors at home.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.