The Los Angeles Lakers’ contest against the Houston Rockets was viewed as a potential playoff preview and that atmosphere was certainly present inside Crypto.com Arena. Also, like a postseason game, the Rockets had a game plan targeted on getting the ball out of the hands of the Lakers’ primary creators and into the hands of role players like Gabe Vincent and Dorian Finney-Smith.
But they would prove exactly why the Lakers acquired them as both Vincent and Finney-Smith knocked down six 3-pointers and finished with 20 points each off the bench in the Lakers’ six-point win. Afterwards, Vincent spoke on the mindset role players must have when playing off such ball dominant players as the LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
“I think you just go out there and compete. You keep winning,” Vincent said. “The most important thing, you trust them to make the right reads, whatever it may be, and you just be ready to impact the game the best way you can.”
Even though this is only his sixth NBA season, Vincent has been through many postseason battles and understands how to impact big games and this game against the Rockets was proof of what he is capable of. Vincent also feels this game was a good test for the Lakers as a whole at this point in the season.
“Just competitive,” Vincent said of the win. “We had to get a little gritty at times and really lock in defensively. It was a great test for us at this time of the year.”
The game was also a return to form of the Lakers’ defense as they held the Rockets to just 98 points on 41.4% shooting from the field. But the point guard felt that was a case of the Lakers just doing what they needed to get a big win.
“I think that’s just what was required tonight,” Vincent added. “They were low scoring as well, it was a very defensive minded game and we just had to continue to fight.”
Even though they are a young team, the Rockets came into L.A. with a lot of fight and battled the Lakers down to the end. It was a playoff-type game in every way and Vincent feels the Lakers were able to tap into that postseason mindset to pick up the win.
“It’s just valuing each possession,” the point guard noted. “Everything matters when you get to the playoffs and you can’t take plays off. So I think we saw moments of that here tonight as well and we’re just trying to continue to build that, especially down this last stretch.”
If the Lakers can maintain this mindset, and players like Vincent and Finney-Smith continue to step up, they will be a very tough out come playoff time.
Gabe Vincent: Lakers are ‘aware’ of standings as regular season winds down
Perhaps most important in this win is that the Lakers moved to just one game behind the Denver Nuggets for third in the West and gave themselves a two-game cushion for the fourth seed and home court in the first-round of the playoffs. And while the Lakers aren’t staring at the standings every night, Gabe Vincent admitted they are aware.
“I think it’s more so we’re just aware of it,” Vincent said. “I wouldn’t say we walk in the building and we have it posted on the wall by any means. We understand what’s at stake, we understand what we gotta do and we’re just trying to take it on game at a time.”
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