Lakers feature opening night starting 5 in preseason finale - ESPN

LOS ANGELES — Using Friday's preseason finale as a «dress rehearsal» for next week's regular-season opener, Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick put Gabe Vincent in the starting lineup to fill in for the injured LeBron James.

Vincent capped a strong individual training camp with 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting (4-for-5 from 3), but the Lakers lost 117-116 to the Sacramento Kings to finish the preseason 1-5.

The regular season starts Tuesday night when L.A. hosts the Golden State Warriors. While the Vincent decision was made, there is plenty more for the Lakers to figure out in the next few days.

«We have two more practices, so we need to clean up some things,» said Luka Doncic, who scored a game-high 31 points to go with nine assists in 33 minutes.

Vincent said the coaching staff informed him about the starting nod Friday morning. If the staff was on the fence about the choice, Vincent certainly helped his cause in the Lakers' preseason game against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday when he scored 18 points in the first four minutes, going 5-for-5 from 3.

«I think I just bring what I've been doing since I've been here,» Vincent said when asked about his fit with the starters. «Just defending, try to defend at a high level. Playmake when I have opportunities, space the floor while Luka and [Austin Reaves] are creating themselves.»

James is not expected to return to the lineup and play until mid-November, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania, as he continues to recover from sciatica affecting the right side of his body.

While Vincent will join Doncic, Reaves, Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura on the court to tip off the 2025-26 season, Redick made it clear that the current starters are not permanent.

«I don't know anything about