Dalton Knecht was shaky in his first couple of games back with the Los Angeles Lakers following the rescinded Mark Williams trade, but the rookie has steadily looked like himself in recent weeks.
The Lakers were surging after the All-Star break, but injuries derailed their momentum at the worst possible time given their upcoming schedule. After losing to the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles had to continue their road trip with a game against the Denver Nuggets on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Lakers decided to rest most of their regulars, a smart move considering the travel schedule and minutes load, so the expectation is they would lose to the Nuggets. However, Los Angeles gave Denver everything it had and nearly stole a win before succumbing 131-126 in the final minute.
Knecht had one of his best games of the season after dropping 32 points in the loss, and credited Denver for executing down the stretch, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Just like you said, they executed. We were short on guys but we fought through that and they were up 10 and went on their runs, but we came right back and made the game close right away. We just went out there and played our part and they just executed at the end. So just gotta watch film and learn.”
It was a homecoming game for Knecht, who played his high school ball in Colorado and he acknowledged how good it felt to be back in the state:
“It felt good. Had tons of family and friends here, about to go see them after and say what’s up.”
Knecht added that he always feels good when he gets to play in the Denver area:
“It always feels good to be back here. I played here twice in high school and twice in the pros, so always feels good to be back home.”
The sharpshooting rookie was a much-needed source of offense on a night when the team was missing their superstars in LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Knecht led the Lakers in shot attempts with 27 and for good reason as he had his whole arsenal going.
While the loss is going to sting, Los Angeles has to be encouraged knowing that Knecht is rounding into form this late into the season.
Austin Reaves says Lakers went toe-to-toe with Nuggets
The Nuggets have been a foil for the Lakers in recent years, though Austin Reaves believes they went toe-to-toe against each other in their latest matchup with him and Dalton Knecht leading the way.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
