On Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers will play their final game of the regular season, with the team going on the road to face the New Orleans Pelicans in a game that will dictate the team’s spot in the Play-In Tournament.
If the Lakers beat the Pelicans, Los Angeles can clinch the 8th seed in the Play-In Tournament, which is the best-case scenario for the Lakers, as they’ll have the chance to play and win one game in order to advance to the NBA playoffs.
However, a loss to the Pelicans could cause the Lakers to fall to No. 9 or No. 10 in the Western Conference. Therefore, today’s game is a must-win to have the best chance of eventually getting into the first round of the playoffs.
Ahead of Sunday’s game, the Lakers and their players are well aware of the situation and know that they need to get the best of the Pelicans, or things only get that much more difficult moving forward. Guard Gabe Vincent talked about the regular-season finale and how the Lakers can control their own fate in an interview with
Gabe Vincent: "It's one game at a time. We have a chance to control our own destiny but we can't get ahead of ourselves, we can't act like it's next week already.. We have to take care of business." pic.twitter.com/yPGMfMsjT9 — Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN)
“It’s one game at a time,” Vincent said. “We have a chance to control a bit of our own destiny but we can’t get ahead of ourselves, we can’t act like it’s next week already. We have to take care of business… Just focus on us. We have a bigger goal, something that we’re shooting towards, so we just got to keep that in mind and stay focused on the task at hand.”
After battling a knee issue throughout the majority of his first season with the Lakers, Vincent has been able to get back on the floor in order to help this team as they push for a playoff spot. He’s embracing the opportunity to contribute to winning games in the final stretch.
“It’s been great to be back on the court and compete with my guys and obviously feel my body out, get more familiar with them and myself,” Vincent said. “But it’s been fun to compete and help contribute to some wins.”
Needless to say, the Lakers have a lot on the line on Sunday afternoon as they try to take down Brandon Ingram and company on the road in order to improve their chances of eventually clinching a spot in the first round of the playoffs.
Austin Reaves Raves About Gabe Vincent’s Impact
Although Vincent hasn’t put up eye-popping numbers in his return to the basketball floor for Los Angeles, he’s done enough to have his impact felt by his teammates.
Austin Reaves recently gave Vincent high praise for what he’s able to do on the floor and how valuable he’s been to the team as the regular season comes to a close.
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