Los Angeles Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht simply could not be stopped on Tuesday night in the Emirates NBA Cup matchup with the Utah Jazz. He finished with 37 points on nine threes, tying an NBA rookie record in the Lakers’ sixth consecutive victory. But it was his 21 straight points in the third quarter that vaulted his performance into historic status.
From the 3:29 mark of the third quarter to the 11:08 mark of the fourth, every single Laker point was scored by Knecht. He went on a personal 21-7 run, hitting six threes and making three free throws on a fouled attempt. It was perhaps the most untouchable any player has been in a short stretch this season on any team.
It’s almost hard to describe just how on fire Knecht was in that stint. And the Lakers rookie didn’t even know the extent of his dominance in the third quarter of Tuesday’s victory.
“I didn’t know I scored 21 points in a row, but I just got in a groove,” Knecht said. “My teammates found me, and they were looking for me every time we got on offense. JJ [Redick] was calling plays for me, so they made it really easy for me. I just had to get open and get a shot up.”
Tying the all-time rookie record with nine threes in a game is a remarkable feat. And as is the case with most sharpshooters, Knecht could feel it was going to be a good night right away.
“The first shot. Every time I see one go in, I think the next one’s going in. Even if I miss it, I always have confidence that my next shot is going in. My dad always told me that so that’s just my confidence.”
Part of what made Tuesday’s performance so incredible was that Knecht got to do it in front of the home fans. He was appreciative of the support from Laker faithful in the arena as he continued to pour it in from downtown.
“It was great,” he said. “Hearing Crypto get up like that every time I touched the ball, I don’t know if they were standing or whatever, but there were just going crazy, especially after I made it. So it was a real great feeling.”
The Lakers turned to Knecht in their starting lineup to make up for the injured Rui Hachimura. It’s unclear what the plan will be when Hachimura ultimately returns, but there is no denying that Knecht has earned his place in whatever role he wants for the time being.
Dalton Knecht explains shrug celebration
After the last three of his run in the third quarter, Dalton Knecht hit Michael Jordan’s famous shrug as he walked down the court. He explained the decision after, saying that it came from a challenge from a teammate.
“Rui [Hachimura] was talking to me about how I need to get a 3-point celebration, so I didn’t know what to do, so I just gave the shrug,” Knecht said.
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