The Los Angeles Lakers continued their winning momentum as they won their sixth game in a row against Utah Jazz on Wednesday (IST). In a team filled with the biggest stars in the world, it was rookie Dalton Knecht who scored a career high 37-points to win the game 124-118.
The 23-year old tied the NBA's single-game rookie record with nine three-pointers on the night. He finds himself on an elite list tied with Knecht tied with Rodrigue Beaubois (2010), Yogi Ferrell (2017) and Utah's Keyonte George (2024).
"I'm not concerned at all with Dalton in terms of meeting the moment. He's fearless. It's a real weapon for our group beyond just the score. It's a weapon that energizes us," said head coach JJ Redick post-game.
Dalton Knecht's historic night also took him into another elite list as he became just the fourth Lakers player, after Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and D'Angelo Russell.
"We just urge him to shoot the basketball. He can do more than just shoot. But he's really good at shooting the basketball. We get mad at him when he don't shoot," said Anthony David.
With the rookie having a great shooting night, LeBron James and Anthony David played perfect supporting roles as the duo accumulated 26 points each. James' 12 assists also saw him move past Patrick Ewing (580) for 9th place on the NBA's all-time list for double-doubles.
With 10 wins and four losses this season the side currently sits at third seed in the Western Conference, after winning six-games in a row for the first time since February 2021. The defending NBA Cup champions have won their opening two games of the in-season tournament and are sitting on the top of West Group-B
(With inputs from IANS)
