Lakers' Wenyen Gabriel: Grabs eight rebounds in bench role
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Gabriel compiled six points (2-3 FG, 2-2 FT), eight rebounds, one assist and one block in 20 minutes in Sunday's 111-105 win over the Magic.
Gabriel has fallen back below 30 minutes over the past two games with Anthony Davis making his return from a one-game respite for his lingering right foot injury, but the former has played well enough to maintain a role as the Lakers' top reserve in the frontcourt ahead of Rui Hachimura. Though he may continue to have some usefulness as a streamer for rebounds and defensive stats if he's able to maintain a 20-plus-minute role moving forward, Gabriel's contributions in other areas aren't strong enough to make him a roster-worthy player in 12-team category leagues.
Gabriel logged six points (2-5 FG, 2-2 FT), 14 rebounds, two steals and one assist across 33 minutes during Wednesday's 114-110 loss to the Rockets.
Gabriel tallied 33 minutes Wednesday -- his highest mark of the campaign -- due largely to the absence of Anthony Davis (foot). Gabriel responded by crashing the boards, grabbing a career-best 14 rebounds, seven of which came on the offensive end. While his work on the glass helped make up for Davis' absence, Gabriel couldn't come close to matching The Brow's offensive impact, scoring in single digits for his 15th straight game dating back to early February.
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Lakers' Wenyen Gabriel: Grabs 10 boards in win
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Gabriel chipped in five points (2-7 FG, 1-2 FT) and 10 rebounds in 22 minutes during Wednesday's 123-117 victory over the Thunder.
Mo Bamba got the start at center with Anthony Davis (foot) out of action, but Gabriel still saw his most action in nearly three weeks. The big man made the most of his minutes, pulling down a season-high 10 rebounds. Davis could be back for Los Angeles' next game, and with Bamba now in the fold, Gabriel doesn't appear to have a path to enough playing time to make him a factor in fantasy.
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Lakers' Wenyen Gabriel: Secures seven boards
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Gabriel logged seven points (2-4 FG, 3-4 FT), seven rebounds and two assists over 13 minutes during Monday's 127-115 loss to the Trail Blazers.
Gabriel played only 13 minutes Monday, but he nonetheless managed to lead Los Angeles with five offensive boards. The big man received less minutes than Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura (22 each), which suggests that his days of logging 20-plus minutes per game -- as he did in five straight contests in mid-January -- are likely behind him. Gabriel's playing time could diminish even further when the recently acquired Mo Bamba (suspension) joins the fold.
Lakers' Wenyen Gabriel: Encroaching on Bryant's role
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Gabriel had 14 points (5-8 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 4-4 FT), nine rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal across 24 minutes before fouling out of Monday's 140-132 victory over Houston.
Gabriel provided Los Angeles with excellent production off the bench, leading the team in rebounds and nearly securing a double-double. He added a pair of blocks in the victory to tie Thomas Bryant for the team lead in the category. While Bryant remains the team's starting center, Gabriel has been outperforming him of late, averaging 14.0 points, 5.7 boards, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 steals over his past three games versus Bryant's 9.0/6.0/1.0/0.0 marks across the same span. Gabriel has logged more minutes than his counterpart in each of those games, a clear indication that the Lakers are gaining trust in his ability to contribute on a nightly basis.
Lakers' Wenyen Gabriel: Steps up with solid outing
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Gabriel ended Thursday's 119-115 double-overtime loss to the Mavericks with 14 points (6-8 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT), seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals over 33 minutes.
Gabriel came into the contest averaging just 6.8 points and 3.6 boards over 16.4 minutes in five January contests, but he well exceeded each of those marks against Dallas. The big man logged a season-high 33 minutes and posted his best scoring effort since he notched 15 points against San Antonio in late November. Gabriel also swatted two shots for the second straight game, and he was on the court down the stretch and into overtime while starter Thomas Bryant sat on the bench. It's uncertain if that decision will have any implications moving forward, but Gabriel may have earned himself a few extra minutes per game -- at least until Anthony Davis (foot) returns -- given his strong showing.
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Lakers' Wenyen Gabriel: Contract guaranteed by Lakers
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The Lakers have guaranteed Gabriel's contract for the remainder of the season, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Gabriel has come off the bench in all but two of his appearances this season but has garnered fairly consistent playing time for the Lakers. He's averaging 5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game, and it's relatively unsurprising to see the team guarantee his contract for the rest of the year.
Lakers' Wenyen Gabriel: Gets big minutes in return
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Gabriel (shoulder) finished with four points (2-5 FG) and six rebounds in 27 minutes in Monday's 130-104 loss to the Suns.
The Lakers weren't hesitant about easing Gabriel back from a seven-game absence due to the shoulder issue, as the 25-year-old ended up seeing his most minutes of the season in the blowout loss. The absences of Anthony Davis (foot), LeBron James (ankle), Russell Westbrook (foot), Austin Reaves (ankle) and Juan Toscano-Anderson (ankle) left more playing time available for all of the Lakers' remaining active players, but expect Gabriel's minutes to trend down if all of James, Westbrook and Reaves are cleared for Wednesday's game in Sacramento, as is anticipated. The long-term absence of Davis is likely to be more beneficial to Thomas Bryant than it is for Gabriel, who is expected to remain a fixture on the second unit now that he's healthy again.
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Lakers' Wenyen Gabriel: Removed from injury report
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Gabriel (shoulder) will be available for Monday's game at Phoenix, Mike Trudell of Spectrum SporstNet reports.
Gabriel missed a string of seven straight games, including Sunday's win over Washington, due to a left shoulder sprain, but he's been given the green light and will likely be in the rotation Monday with LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Davis (foot) both out.
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Lakers' Wenyen Gabriel: Still sidelined
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Gabriel (shoulder) will miss Sunday's game against the Wizards, Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet reports.
Gabriel will miss a seventh consecutive game due to a sprain in his left shoulder, however, optimism has been expressed that he is near a return. With Anthony Davis (foot) and Juan Toscano-Anderson (ankle) also out, Thomas Bryant, Troy Brown and Damian Jones may see more action in the frontcourt. Gabriel's next chance to play comes Monday in Phoenix.
Gabriel (shoulder) will not suit up for Friday's game against the Nuggets, Ryan Ward of LakersNation.com reports.
Coach Darvin Ham noted Gabriel should be considered day-to-day moving forward and is expected to return soon. However, Friday will not be the day, as the 25-year-old is already ruled out for the contest. His next opportunity to take the floor will come on Sunday versus the Wizards in the first leg of a back-to-back.
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Lakers' Wenyen Gabriel: Considered day-to-day
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Lakers coach Darvin ham said Gabriel (shoulder) is nearing a return from his injury and is day-to-day moving forward, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.
Gabriel has missed the past five games due to a left shoulder sprain. Thomas Bryant and Damian Jones have enjoyed extended playing time in his absence. If Gabriel is unable to suit up Friday, his next chance to play will be Sunday's matchup with the Wizards.
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Lakers' Wenyen Gabriel: Out again Tuesday
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Gabriel (shoulder) won't play in Tuesday's game against the Celtics, Ryan Ward of LakersNation.com reports.
Gabriel hasn't taken the floor since Dec. 4 due to a left shoulder sprain, and he'll miss yet another contest while on the mend. His next chance at a return will arrive Friday against the Nuggets.
