Dalton Knecht stats tonight: How did Lakers’ rookie fare in blowout loss vs Bulls? (March 22)

The LA Lakers welcomed back LeBron James and Luka Doncic on Saturday night, but they were crushed by the Chicago Bulls, who ran away with a 146-115 win at Crypto.com Arena. The lopsided defeat, however, opened the door for bench guys like Dalton Knecht to log minutes.

Knecht didn’t see action until garbage time, checking in with 6:42 left and the Lakers down 126-103.

Right away, he made an impact by assisting on a Markieff Morris jumper. Moments later, he came up with a steal and drilled a 3-pointer. He knocked down another 3 with just 57 seconds left on the clock.

Here’s a full look at Dalton Knecht’s stat line 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	06:42	6	1	1	2	4	50.0	2	3	66.7	0	0	0.0	0	1	1	0	0	1	-8

The Lakers fell apart in the second half. Luka Doncic had a strong start with 29 points by halftime, though L.A. still trailed 65-62 at the break. Things unraveled quickly in the third, as the Bulls outscored the Lakers 39-27 to build a commanding 104-89 lead going into the final quarter.

Chicago never let up in the fourth, ballooning their lead to 20 and cruising to victory.

Doncic, after an explosive first half, only added five more points to finish with 34. Austin Reaves chipped in 25, and LeBron James, returning from a two-week absence, contributed 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.

The Bulls, meanwhile, got huge efforts from multiple players, headlined by Coby White’s 36 points and Matas Buzelis’ 31. Josh Giddey put up 15 points, 17 assists, 10 rebounds and eight steals — the first time in NBA history someone has recorded those numbers in a game.

They also had four more players hit double figures: Kevin Huerter and Patrick Williams each scored 14, Dalen Terry added 13 and Nikola Vucevic posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Dalton Knecht, Lakers gear up for a four-game road trip

JJ Redick has repeatedly emphasized that Dalton Knecht needs to stay ready — and now he’ll have the chance to prove himself as the Lakers head out on a four-game road trip, their longest remaining stretch away from home this season.

The trip begins Monday against the Orlando Magic, followed by back-to-back games against the Indiana Pacers and these same Bulls on Wednesday and Thursday.

They’ll wrap up the trip Saturday with a visit to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Afterward, the Lakers return home for three games before hitting the road once more for another three-game trip. They’ll close out the regular season against the Houston Rockets at home on April 11 and then face the Portland Trail Blazers on the road on April 13.