The Los Angeles Lakers remain undefeated at home following a 128-123 victory against the Memphis Grizzlies as rookie Dalton Knecht emerged as an unlikely hero in this nail-biter.
Rookie Dalton Knecht Earned Season-High Of 19 Points
Knecht achieved season-highs both in minutes played and in points scored in a regular season match, ending the night with 19 points (7/8 FG, 5/5 3FG, 0/0 FT), two rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 31 minutes of gameplay.
The 23-year-old rookie first checked into the game in the first quarter, contributing to the team’s dominant first half by sinking in his first three shots. Despite only getting a handful of good looks during that half, Knecht’s early minutes were effective in foreshadowing the offensive efficiency the rookie is capable of possessing.
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However, the game took a turn for the worse in the third quarter. The Grizzlies came out of the locker room with much more drive and energy compared to the first half, managing to snatch away the Lakers’s lead and maintain a deficit of up to nine points the entire quarter.
As the Lakers began to struggle to find footing in their offense, Dalton Knecht stepped up as the primary scorer off the bench and fired up a lethargic second-half effort from the Lakers with his sharp shooting and unwavering poise. The rookie secured 11 points for the team in the second half, eight of which came during the third quarter.
Los Angeles Lakers Have A New Prominent Figure
Tonight’s performance made it abundantly clear that Dalton Knecht became one of multiple leaders in this industrious team win. With superstar LeBron James leading the way with a 35-point triple-double, five Lakers players finished tonight’s game with 18+ points: James, Anthony Davis with 21 points, Rui Hachimura with 19 points, Knecht, and Austin Reaves with 18 points.
When asked about Knecht’s breakthrough performance, head coach JJ Redick acknowledged the 23-year-old as “the catalyst for [the Lakers] comeback.”
“I thought [Knecht] was the catalyst for our comeback,” Redick stated, “…we kind of lost our life a little bit… Those back-to-back (shots) were huge, got the crowd into, got the bench into, gave us a new life… We’ve been challenging him lately to just be tougher, be more in tune with our game plan. I’m not going to say it was perfect, but baby steps. He was great tonight.”
The Lakers will hit the road once more to begin their journey to the Emirates NBA In-Season Tournament Cup in Texas versus the San Antonio Spurs.
After making history as the first-ever champions of the tournament, the Los Angeles Lakers seek to make history once more as the first-ever back-to-back winners.