The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the best teams in the league the past couple of weeks and they looked to continue their recent success when they hosted the Utah Jazz for the second game of group play of the Emirates NBA Cup.
The Jazz have really struggled during the 2024-25 season as they sit at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, so it was an excellent opportunity for the Lakers to keep their momentum going. Los Angeles got out to a quick start and looked well on their way to an easy win, but Utah put up a fight in the fourth quarter to make things interesting.
Fortunately, the Lakers did enough to pull out a victory. Also, not only did they keep their perfect home record alive but they moved into first place in their NBA Cup group.
Dalton Knecht was named a starter with Rui Hachimura still out due to an ankle injury and the rookie put on another show for the Crypto.com Arena crowd. Knecht started the night with a couple of corner 3-pointers, but he caught fire in the middle of the third quarter.
The rookie guard was unconscious shooting the basketball, knocking down three after three to push Los Angeles’ lead north of 20. Knecht ultimately finished the night with a game-high 37 points on 12-of-16 shooting including 9-of-12 from distance.
It was a historic performance from Knecht, who tied the NBA record for most made threes by a rookie in one game as well as set the Lakers’ single-game record for most 3-pointers made by a rookie.
With Knecht catching fire from the field, LeBron James and Anthony Davis were able to sit back and enjoy the show but they did dominate the Jazz in their own right.
Walker Kessler missed the game due to a hip injury, opening up the painted area for Davis who simply had his way with the smaller Utah front court. Davis wound up with 26 points and a game-high 14 rebounds to go along with six assists and two steals. Davis likely would’ve had a bigger night had he not gone back to the locker room after getting hit near the groin area.
Meanwhile, James bounced back from his rough shooting night against the New Orleans Pelicans. Like Davis, James recorded 26 points while also dishing out 12 assists.
What’s next for Lakers
The Lakers continue their home stand when they take on the Orlando Magic on Thursday and then the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.
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