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Former Tennessee star scores 20 goals in a row for the Lakers

Posted on by Vanessa
Former Tennessee star scores 20 goals in a row for the Lakers

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The Lakers Show became the Dalton Knecht Show at the Footprint Center.

The former Tennessee basketball star scored 35 points on 10 of 18 shooting off the bench in the Los Angeles Lakers' 128-122 overtime win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.

His stats included an impressive stretch in which he took over the game for the Lakers starting in the fourth quarter, where the 6-foot-1 guard scored 20 points in a row to force overtime. With the win, the Lakers are 2-3 in the NBA preseason.

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The reigning SEC Player of the Year hit a tough 3-pointer from the key over the Suns' 7-3 center Bol Bol to force overtime, a shot that even defeated Lakers veterans LeBron James and Anthony Davis impressed.

“It was an incredible performance,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said after the game. “(TNT analyst) Reggie (Miller) and I talked about it before the game and he said, 'It was high praise to say he's in the top 1% of shooters,' and I said, 'No, he is to the 1% of shooters.' The thing with him is simply the mentality that he has demonstrated in preseason, training camp and games so far. He's not afraid of the moment.”

He added with a grin: “My assistants tried to tell me not to put him back in the game with four minutes left, so I'll get to them later.”

In the five preseason games, Knecht averaged 18.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists per game and a shooting rate of 43.6% from the field. He was selected 17th overall by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Next, Knecht and the Lakers face Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET to round out the preseason. Knecht's rookie season in the NBA officially begins on October 22nd at 10pm ET on TNT against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Dalton Knecht's stats from Thursday against the Suns

Here's a complete look at Knecht's box score from Thursday's NBA preseason game against the Suns:

  • Points: 35
  • FGs: 10 out of 18
  • Rebounds: Seven
  • Supports: One
  • Steals: Two
  • Blocks: Two
  • Sales: Two
  • Fouls: One

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