Is Gabe Vincent the Lakers’ Secret Weapon from Beyond the Arc?

You could feel the pulse of the crowd at T-Mobile Arena shift instantly the moment Gabe Vincent stepped beyond the arc. One shot? Nailed it. Two? No sweat. Then three, four—each three-pointer falling like a whispered promise fulfilled — a sizzling opening salvo that set the tone in a way that left Lakers fans buzzing. But it wasn’t just the ease with which those long balls swished through the net; it was the defiant fire behind each attempt, the kind that tells you this guy’s locked in and ready to carve out his mark. Even when rookie Cooper Flagg tried to smother him, tripping him up on a shot that could’ve rattled nerves, Vincent bounced back with a grin, draining that fifth trey to lift the electrified crowd once more. Sure, the game ended in a lopsided 121-94 loss to Dallas, but Vincent’s burst—18 points in a flash during the first quarter alone—revealed a glimpse of something electric brewing on the hardwood for the Lakers this preseason. It’s the kind of performance that makes you lean in, wondering just how far this shooting streak might stretch and what it could mean once the regular season kicks off at home against Golden State. LEARN MORE

Gabe Vincent pulled up for a three-pointer and nailed it. And then Vincent nailed his next three and his next three and his next, giving him four straight made treys.

Vincent was on fire to start the game for the Lakers during their exhibition game against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Before Vincent could even think about getting off his fifth three-pointer, Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg smothered him. Vincent stumbled and fell, scrambling to keep control of the ball. He did and passed it to a teammate.

When Vincent got to his feet and got the ball back, the fans began to shout, “Shooot it!” So, Vincent did, nailing his fifth three-pointer over 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 of which he made. That gave Vincent 18 points in what seemed like a flash in the first quarter.

He missed his next two 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 six-for-15 shooting and six-for-11 on three-pointers during the Lakers’ 121-94 loss to the Mavericks that saw L.A. get outscored 37-8 in the fourth quarter.

“I just wanted to come out aggressive,” Vincent said. “Obviously we were a few guys down. We knew we needed to play a little fast and I just wanted to come out and be aggressive and look for my shot. Guys found me early. They went in. That’s always helpful.”

He was part of a 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 a good all-around game until he was forced to leave late in the second quarter with a left quad contusion after banging his left knee with a Mavericks defender. He limped up and down the court, but was still able to score on a dunk after he was injured and he drilled a three-pointer.

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.

“He can be a really impactful guy on both ends,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said about Vanderbilt. “Yyou can see he’s moving better than he was last season. You can clearly tell that he’s spent a lot of time working on his game this summer…Having him be able to guard multiple positions on the perimeter and be a crasher and hopefully a high-level corner spacer and a cutter…He can do a lot.”

The starting five Lakers who did play against the Suns — Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia — didn’t play in the back-to-back game against the Mavericks, Doncic’s former team that traded him to the Lakers in February. 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 sounds of things, Doncic and those who didn’t play against the Mavericks will play against the Suns.

“And then Friday, yes, the plan is to do another dress rehearsal and likely play most of our guys,” Redick said before the game. “I don’t know the minutes total, but that’s the plan.”

The Lakers open the regular season Tuesday against the Golden State Warriors at home.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.