Lakers’ player Dalton Knecht scores 37 points and equals rookie record with 9 three-pointers

LOS ANGELES — Lakers guard Dalton Knecht lit up the court Tuesday night, tying an NBA rookie record with nine 3-pointers and dropping 37 points to lead the Lakers to a 124-118 victory over the Utah Jazz. After the game, LeBron James made sure to set the record straight about how Knecht ended up in L.A.

It wasn’t just the Lakers’ scouting department spotting the 6-foot-6, 215-pound forward after his standout senior season at Tennessee. According to James, it was more about other teams missing the mark.

“They didn’t ‘find’ DK,” said James, who added 26 points and 12 assists himself. “The other 16 teams messed it up. Did anyone watch him? Seriously. You don’t just ‘find’ the SEC Player of the Year.”

The Jazz had no answers for Knecht, who caught fire late in the third quarter, pouring in 21 points in the final 3:29 to stretch the Lakers’ lead from 11 to 22 going into the fourth.

Knecht knocked down four straight 3-pointers, with the first three coming off slick assists from D’Angelo Russell. Each shot sent the Crypto.com Arena crowd into a louder frenzy, buzzing with excitement every time he touched the ball.

As the crowd held its breath for his next move, Knecht got Utah’s Cody Williams to bite on a fake and drew a foul from beyond the arc. He calmly sank all three free throws, capping off his electric run.

To finish off his incredible third-quarter run, Knecht drained another 3-pointer—once again off a pass from D’Angelo Russell—with 26.3 seconds left, capping a perfect 6-for-6 shooting performance in the quarter.

Knecht ended the night with an impressive stat line: 12-for-16 from the field, 9-for-12 from beyond the arc, five rebounds, and a steal.

“I have zero doubts about Dalton stepping up when it counts,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick, who, in his 940-game career, only hit nine 3s in a game once. Knecht achieved the feat in just his 14th professional game. “He’s fearless. It’s more than just scoring—it’s the energy and momentum he brings to our team.”

By hitting nine 3-pointers, Knecht tied the rookie record held by Keyonte George (2024), Yogi Ferrell (2017), and Rodrigue Beaubois (2010). To celebrate, he channeled Michael Jordan’s iconic shrug from the 1992 NBA Finals—performed nine years before Knecht was born.

“Rui [Hachimura] was telling me I needed a 3-point celebration,” Knecht said with a smile. “I didn’t know what to do, so I just went with the shrug.”

Knecht also became just the fourth player in Lakers history to hit nine or more 3-pointers in a game, joining Russell, LeBron James (twice), and Kobe Bryant (four times).

The Lakers pushed their winning streak to six games and improved to 2-0 in NBA Cup group play with the victory.

“We just keep telling him to shoot,” said Anthony Davis, who added 26 points and 14 rebounds. “He can do more than just shoot, but shooting is what he does best. We actually get mad when he doesn’t take the shot.”

Since stepping into the starting lineup three games ago, filling in for Rui Hachimura (out with an ankle injury), Knecht has been on fire, averaging 26 points while shooting 63.6% from the field and 61.5% from 3-point range.

“I know he can do this,” said Austin Reaves. “Honestly, I expect him to have more games like this throughout the season.”