Rookie Dalton Knecht registered his second 30-point game on Friday to help lead the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers in a loss on the road against the Denver Nuggets.
Knecht produced 32 points, two rebounds and one assist in the 131-126 loss at Ball Arena. He finished by shooting 13-of-27 from the field, including 5-of-13 from 3-point range, in 36 minutes as the Lakers dropped their fourth straight game.
The 17th pick is now one of eight rookies in franchise history with multiple 30-point games, joining the likes of Magic Johnson, Kyle Kuzma, Eddie Jones and D’Angelo Russell. He and Jones are the only players to accomplish that feat without committing a turnover.
THIS LAKERS SEQUENCE BY DALTON KNECHT π₯π₯π₯
JJ REDICK HAS THESE BOYS FIGHTING VS NUGGETS WITH NO LEBRON AND NO LUKA πππ pic.twitter.com/syHdpTHA48
β LakeShow Highlights (@LSH_lakeshow) March 15, 2025
Knecht played every minute of the fourth quarter, recording 11 points to help lead the Lakers without LeBron James, Luka DonΔiΔ, Rui Hachimura, Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent and Jaxson Hayes. He survived a scary-looking fall late in the game, and said afterward that he is OK.
The performance continued a hot run of late for Knecht. He has scored in double figures in six out of his last seven appearances, averaging 16.1 points, four rebounds and 1.4 assists on 42% shooting from 3-point range over that span, including two starts.
Knecht is averaging 9.6 points and three rebounds on 36.6% shooting from 3-point range in 62 games this season with the Lakers. He is fifth in the rookie class in total scoring (595) and has the highest-scoring game by a first-year player after recording 37 points on Nov. 19.
This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Lakers news: Dalton Knecht registers 2nd 30-point game vs. Nuggets
