Neither LeBron James nor Austin Reaves: Luka Doncic showers unexpected Lakers star with praise

The Los Angeles Lakers head into Saturday’s mouthwatering matchup against the Boston Celtics on a roll having won their eighth successive game against the New York Knicks on Thursday.

LeBron James and Luka Doncic have inevitably grabbed much of the attention during the Lakers’ victorious run, with the 40-year-old 21-time NBA All-Star recently becoming the first player to reach more than 50,000 career points, and the Slovenian hitting his stride after a relatively low-key start following a calf injury.

The duo again starred in the overtime triumph against the Knicks, with the Doncic recording 32 points, 12 assists and 7 rebounds, while James amassed 31 points, 8 assists and 12 rebounds. However, one less lauded Laker was responsible for the win, in the eyes of the former Dallas Mavericks star.

The man who won the game for the Lakers against the Knicks

“Gabe Vincent won us the game,” Doncic told ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin after the contest at Crypto.com Arena.

Backup point guard Vincent came to the fore in the fourth quarter, which JJ Redick’s team started eight points down. The 28-year-old made a crucial contribution, scoring nine of his team’s 23 points, making three out of three attempts from behind the arc.

Vincent’s ended the game with 4-for-5 shooting from the floor, with all four of his shots from deep dropping. His points return helped the Lakers force overtime and eventually prevail, ensuring they go into Saturday’s Celtics game in the best shape possible. Something that didn’t go unnoticed by Doncic.

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