With the regular season approaching its end, the outcome of every game holds major consequences. The Western Conference is still wide open and teams are fighting to bag a higher seed in the playoffs. So, all eyes were on tonight’s Lakers vs Rockets clash, who are currently among the top four teams. Sure enough, Luka Doncic understood the assignment and brought his A game. And he made an insane move that even left the TNT announcers mesmerized.

It happened in the closing seconds of the first half. After receiving a quick pass from Dorian Finney-Smith, Doncic immediately threw a wild no-look behind the back dime to Gabe Vincent, who was standing wide open in the corner. Completing the incredible play, Vincent drained the triple and tied the game. TNT announcer Kevin Harlan added icing on the cake with his brilliant call, “Got it! Vincent a triple. Wow! He has given them life.”

Reggie Miller, however, noticed something that many might have missed at first glance—A moment between Gabe and Rockets star Jeff Green. “I like how Vincent knocked down that three and kind of gave Jeff Green a pat on the knee as he was in front of that bench.” The Pacers legend said on Live TV. As soon as Vincent saw his shot go in, he immediately turned to the Rockets bench and had the brief interaction with Green.

Well, the play clearly highlighted Vincent’s confidence in tonight’s game. After a slow start, he found his rhythm and the corner three was his third triple of the second quarter. And Harlan was left in awe of Vincent and Luka’s incredible chemistry, “Boy was that crafty huh. That was really fun to watch.” The legendary announcer also made an observation that could be a major blessing for the Lakers.

Kevin Harlan points out Gabe Vincent’s positive change amid the Lakers’ playoff pursuit

After seeing Vincent shoot the three confidently, Harlan said, “He’s looking like the Vincent we saw with Miami.” When the Lakers signed Gabe on a three-year $33 million deal two summers ago, he was coming off a dominant playoff run with the Heat. Showing immense potential, the sharpshooter averaged 12.7 points and nearly four assists in the 2023 playoffs to help the Heat reach the NBA Finals. Obviously, the Lakers expected a similar production for him.

Unfortunately, Vincent’s first season in LA was cut short to just eleven games as he was forced to get his injured knee surgically repaired. Even when he returned, he looked like a shell of himself. But he seems to have found his rhythm recently, especially since Luka’s arrival. Gabe has averaged 7.8 points since the All-Star break and been highly efficient from deep range.

Even tonight, he dropped a team high 20 points while draining six three pointers to lead his team to a much-needed win. Luka Doncic and Dorian Finney-Smith also tallied the same score.

Thanks to the trio’s collective effort, the Lakers are now two wins ahead of the Grizzlies and sitting comfortably in that fourth spot. If they maintain this lead and Gabe continues performing like his Heat days, then the Lakers will finish the season with home court advantage and become a legitimate threat to win it all. Thoughts?