Report: Lakers could have help on the way before their 6-game road trip ends

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly could have guard Gabe Vincent back with the team before the end of its upcoming six-game road trip, perhaps opening the door for him to see the court during the stretch.

The guard’s status has been a major question mark at times this season, but it appears some clarity may be coming.

Vincent has played in just five games this season, with four of those games coming all the way back in October, the first month of the 2023-24 regular season.

But Vincent’s most recent appearance with the Lakers came shortly before Christmas on Dec. 20, when Los Angeles played the Chicago Bulls and lost by a final score of 124-108.

Currently, the Lakers are heading into a lengthy road trip on a three-game winning streak. During the streak in question, Los Angeles has earned wins against the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers.

The team had one of its more impressive offensive performances of the season in its most recent win over the Pacers on March 24. The Lakers scored an unbelievable 150 points while shooting 56.2 percent from the field and 48.0 percent from 3-point range as a team.

Plus, four players — Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Spencer Dinwiddie and Austin Reaves — scored 25 or more points for the Lakers. Davis finished with a team-high 36 points on 15-of-21 shooting from the floor and 1-of-2 shooting from deep while also chipping in 16 rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block.

The Lakers will kick off their road trip when they face off against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night. After experiencing a slow start following their decision to hire Doc Rivers, the Bucks have been playing winning basketball lately. It’ll be a tricky matchup for L.A. with James sidelined.

Milwaukee is 2.5 games ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference standings for the No. 2 seed. The Bucks are also winners of four of their last five games, with their only loss during that stretch coming against the Boston Celtics, who sit atop the Eastern Conference with a fantastic record of 57-15.