The hottest show in Hollywood will step in front of a live audience again Thursday night when rookie Dalton Knecht takes the floor for the Los Angeles Lakers against the visiting Orlando Magic.
Knecht’s 3-point promise already has been realized just 14 games into his NBA career. The 6-foot-6 sharpshooter tied an NBA rookie record with nine made baskets from beyond the arc in Tuesday’s 124-118 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz.
Not only did Knecht go 9 of 12 (75 percent) from long distance Tuesday, he is 21 of 31 (67.8 percent) over the past four games. He also has proved to be exactly the shooter the Lakers were seeking to partner with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
“I just caught fire, and I just kept letting everything fly,” Knecht said on Spectrum SportsNet. “My teammates kept looking for me and running plays. Shout-out to them and (coach) JJ (Redick) for letting me go out there and keep letting that thing fly.”
Knecht’s shooting spree coincides with the Lakers’ six-game winning streak. Los Angeles also is 7-0 at home this season and is one of three teams that has yet to lose in its own building, along with Cleveland and Orlando.
While Davis leads the Lakers with averages of 30.7 points and 11.4 rebounds a game, Knecht’s career-best 37 points Tuesday boosted his per-game average to 11.3 points on the season and 24.3 over his last four games.
“It’s special to watch; it’s fun,” James said of Knecht’s performance. “… When a guy gets hot like that, you feel like you can throw anything into the ocean. It’s going in for sure.”
The Magic will play in the Los Angeles area for the second time in two nights after dropping a 104-93 decision against the host Clippers on Wednesday.
The loss ended the Magic’s six-game winning streak that came while Paolo Banchero has been on the sideline with an oblique injury. Orlando held its opponents under 100 points in every game of the winning run before the Clippers eclipsed the century mark.
Second-year guard Anthony Black is starting to come into his own, with five double-digit scoring games in his last eight contests. He had a team-best 17 points Wednesday and a season-high 20 in a 109-99 road victory over the Phoenix Suns on Monday.
Black averaged 4.6 points last season, is up to 9.0 this season and has averaged 11.3 points in his last eight games. He also has 17 assists over his last two games.
“From a year ago to now, his maturity has gone to a different level,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said of Black. “… Where he can go, I think it’s just gonna be continued leadership and vocal presence on the court with this group, and just continue to command the floor.”
Franz Wagner, the most recent Eastern Conference Player of the Week, leads Orlando with 22.3 points per game while Jalen Suggs is averaging 15. Without an average of 8.8 rebounds from both Banchero (five games) and Wendell Carter Jr. (six), Goga Bitadze leads the Magic with 6.4 per game.
Carter missed his ninth consecutive game for the Magic with a left foot injury but has a chance of returning against the Lakers. He was listed as questionable before he was held out Wednesday.