The Los Angeles Lakers took care of business against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday with a 124-118 victory to earn a 2-0 record at the Emirates NBA Cup. While most fans drew their attention to Dalton Knecht’s 37-point performance (setting a Lakers record for most 3-pointers for a rookie), JJ Redick credited D’Angelo Russell for his performance.
Everyone remained in their seats as Knecht made nine of twelve shots from beyond the arc. Their winning streak was maintained by the rookie forward, who led all scorers. The head coach of the Lakers made sure to give Russell his flowers even after the performance was over.
Russell had eight points, six rebounds and six assists on 25% shooting from the field. While he didn’t have the best shooting display, the Lakers guard consistently found Knecht on the floor to help the rookie set the franchise record.
“I thought, you know, they tried to run that zone and he kind of shot them out of it,” Redick said. “But that was all DLo (D’Angelo Russell).”
“We had talked during a free throw to just get to this, and you know DK (Dalton Knecht) is going to be open. D’Lo hit him two or three times in a row. Bron (LeBron James) checked into the game, DLo sets the flare screen for him for that fourth or fifth one in that run. I don’t know what his stats were offensively, but DLo was great tonight [with] orchestrating defensively and his activity. The guy had a low man blocked shot against John Collins. Like that stuff does not go overlooked. He was great tonight.”
JJ Redick asked about Dalton Knecht’s heater & gives D’Angelo Russell his flowers —
“That was all DLo.” pic.twitter.com/CHtpgzPkVd
— i (@pgUNO_) November 20, 2024
Russell was aggressive on defense, with a block and a steal. Since accepting his role as the Lakers’ sixth man, the one-time All-Star has started to thrive. The point guard is averaging 11.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists this season.
Knecht gets more minutes from JJ Redick following his career game
JJ Redick was amazed at the shooting performance Knecht displayed against the Jazz. After the game, Redick complimented the former Tennessee player for giving the team the much-needed energy to remain undefeated in the In-Season Tournament.
“I’m not concerned at all with Dalton in terms of meeting the moment. He’s fearless. He’s fearless,” JJ Redick said.
After the game, Redick informed reporters that Knecht had earned the right to play more.
“It doesn’t change his place in the pecking order at all. I think what you have to look at is he’s from where he was to start the season. He has earned more minutes.
This season, the 6-foot-6 rookie has averaged 21.5 minutes and scored 11.3 points with 2.5 rebounds.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
