With DeAndre Ayton out in the second half due to a knee contusion, it was center Maxi Kleber who ultimately stepped up in his place and helped change the tenor of the Los Angeles Lakers’ eventual 108-106 win over the Utah Jazz on Nov. 24, according to head coach JJ Redick. 

“[Kleber] coming in in that second half really changed the game for us with his physicality,” Redick said in a postgame press conference. “Made some plays at the rim, had the big bucket late, but he was great.”

Redick also noted Gabe Vincent’s contributions to the Lakers’ win, giving the guard and Kleber their flowers for coming off the bench and helping ignite Los Angeles’ defensive efforts.

“[Kleber and Vincent] playing in that extended run, that’s really where our defense was solidified,” Redick added. 

Kleber and Vincent only combined for five points, but as Redick said, they still impacted the game. Kleber tallied three rebounds and a block, while Vincent added a rebound and a steal of his own. 

Having different players come alive at different times has become somewhat of a theme for the Lakers this season. 

Early in the campaign, in a Nov. 3 game against the Portland Trail Blazers, it was Nick Smith Jr. who had a 25-point outburst off the bench. The night before, in a Nov. 2 matchup against the Miami Heat, it was Jake LaRavia who tallied 25 points in his own right. 

Tonight, though maybe not in the scoring column, it was Kleber and Vincent who came alive. 

Those flashes from Los Angeles’ role players this season have played a paramount part in the Lakers’ 12-4 start to the 2025-26 season. The team dealt with several injuries, but during that difficult, undermanned stretch, they made do with the personnel they had and came out the other end having weathered the storm. 

Now they hold the current number two seed in the Western Conference, tied with the Denver Nuggets for second billing to the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who have lost just one game this season and sit at 17-1. 

The Lakers’ next three games are against teams that currently hold a record below .500 – the Los Angeles Clippers (5-12), the Dallas Mavericks (5-13) and the New Orleans Pelicans (2-15). 

This three-game stretch will serve as an opportunity for the Lakers to continue creating separation from the teams below them in the Western Conference standings, especially if Denver can’t win at the same rate they did before Aaron Gordon was ruled out for 4 to 6 weeks on Nov. 23. 

The Lakers will tip-off against the Clippers at 11 p.m. EST on Nov. 25 at Crypto.com Arena.