Dalton Knecht Tying NBA Rookie Record with 9 3-Pointers Wows Fans as Lakers Beat Jazz

The Rookie of the Year hype for Dalton Knecht is going to get louder after he scored 37 points on 9-of-12 three-point shooting in the Los Angeles Lakers' 124-118 win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.

Making his third consecutive start with Rui Hachimura sidelined due to an ankle injury, Knecht has provided a huge lift to the offense. He scored 21 of the Lakers' 40 points in the third quarter against the Jazz, going 6-of-6 from behind the arc.

Knecht's nine three-pointers tied the NBA rookie record, previously done three times. He also scored 22 consecutive points for the Lakers from late in the third quarter to early in the fourth quarter.

The hype train for Knecht as the next great Lakers player has officially left the station now based on the response to his effort on Tuesday night.

Since scoring just two points on 1-of-8 shooting in a win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 8, Knecht has been red hot as his role has expanded. He is averaging 20.4 points on 66.7 percent three-point shooting in his last five games.

This has created a good problem for head coach JJ Redick to deal with. Hachimura was having a solid start to the season and is relied on for his defensive versatility, but Knecht is elevating the offense for a team that doesn't have many knockdown shooters.

Even with Knecht's recent stretch, the Lakers still average the sixth-fewest threes per game in the NBA (33.6).

Whatever Redick chooses to do with the lineup, the Lakers appear to have figured some things out after their stretch of four losses in five games. They have now won six straight, including both of their NBA Cup games to this point.

This six-game run has come against a favorable schedule, with the Memphis Grizzlies (8-7) being the only team that currently has a winning record the Lakers have defeated. Four of their wins have come against the Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans. That quartet has a combined record of 12-45.

Things will start to get more difficult for the Lakers starting on Thursday when they host the Orlando Magic. That kicks off a run in which they will also play the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder in the next nine days.

Knecht's hot shooting couldn't have come at a better time as the Lakers prepare to run an intense gauntlet of quality opponents. They have climbed up to third in the Western Conference standings, trailing the Golden State Warriors (10-3) by just one game in the loss column for the top spot.