Dalton Knecht stats tonight: How did Lakers rookie fare with 8 teammates out vs Nuggets? (March 14)

Dalton Knecht had a tall task on Friday night as the LA Lakers, missing four starters and eight players overall, went head-to-head with their rivals, the Denver Nuggets.

The Lakers were without key starters Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Jaxson Hayes and Rui Hachimura, along with reserves Gabe Vincent, Dorian Finney-Smith, Trey Jemison III and Maxi Kleber. With so many absences, it was a golden opportunity for Knecht and the other reserves to step up.

The Lakers fought hard and held a 126-123 lead with 52 seconds left after a Dalton Knecht dunk, but Denver responded with eight unanswered points. Nikola Jokic converted an and-one, Jamal Murray knocked down a clutch 3 and Russell Westbrook sealed the 131-126 win with a steal and dunk on the final possession.

Dalton Knecht scored 32 in the game, just five short of his career-high 37. Below are his full stats from the game.

PLAYER	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	FGM	FGA	FG%	3PM	3PA	3P%	FTM	FTA	FT%	OREB	DREB	STL	BLK	TO	PF	=+/-
Dalton Knecht	36:52	32	2	1	13	27	48.1	5	13	38.5	1	2	50.0	1	1	0	0	0	5	-10

Despite their depleted roster, the Lakers came out strong in the first quarter, outscoring Denver 40-32, with Knecht contributing seven points. A dominant 19-7 rebounding advantage helped LA gain the early edge..

In the second quarter, the Nuggets battled back. A Michael Porter Jr. alley-oop dunk put Denver ahead 50-49, and from there, the Nuggets outscored the Lakers 21-18 to close the first half.

Knecht finished the first half with 15 points, shooting 6-for-12, while Austin Reaves notched a double-double with 22 points, 10 assists and five rebounds.

For Denver, Nikola Jokic led the way with 18 first-half points, while former Laker Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 15 points and five assists. Aaron Gordon (12 points) and Christian Braun (11 points) also reached double figures.

The second half remained tightly contested. With the score tied 116-116 and three minutes left, Denver pulled ahead by five, only for LA to regain the lead on Knecht’s dunk with 52 seconds remaining.

However, the Lakers faltered in crunch time, leaving Murray wide open for a 3 and turning the ball over, allowing Westbrook’s dunk to seal the loss.

JJ Redick on Dalton Knecht’s roller-coaster rookie season

Before the Lakers faced the Brooklyn Nets earlier this week, JJ Redick weighed in on Dalton Knecht’s up-and-down rookie season, including the aborted trade to the Charlotte Hornets for center Mark Williams.

“I think he has had what I would describe as a typical rookie year, which is you have some highs and some lows. You have some neutrals. I think his toughness and fight have improved throughout the year,” Redick said (per Lakers Nation).

“I think getting him back and sort of the emotional and mental processing of that has made him actually a better and stronger player. He is going to have a long NBA career. He has got a bright future with us.”

Through his first 61 games, Dalton Knecht has averaged 9.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.9 assists.