Dalton Knecht Stats Tonight: How did Lakers rookie fare against Houston Rockets? (Mar. 31)

Dalton Knecht and the LA Lakers hosted the Houston Rockets on Monday for a crucial Western Conference showdown. The Lakers (45-29) looked to retain their hold of the No. 4 spot and inch closer to the Rockets (49-26), which sit in second place. LA hoped to tie the season series with a win after losing 119-115 in early January.

Knecht did not see action in the first quarter. The defensive struggle, which saw Houston lead 19-16 at the end of the period, forced JJ Redick to keep the rookie on the bench.

The No.17 pick in the 2024 draft started the second quarter but lasted only four minutes. Redick substituted him for Rui Hachimura with LA trailing 31-27. Knecht did not attempt a shot in the first half and failed to add a rebound or an assist.

Dalton Knecht did not earn a minute of playing time in the second half as the Lakers and Rockets played tug of war. With both teams exchanging haymakers, JJ Redick mothballed the rookie on the bench. Redick leaned on his veterans who carried the team to an impressive 104-98 win.

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG	3-PT FG	FT	+/-
Dalton Knecht	0	0	0	0	0	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0

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Dalton Knecht has hardly played in the LA Lakers last six games

JJ Redick does not yet have trust in Dalton Knecht. As the LA Lakers jostle for playoff positioning in the fiercely contested Western Conference, the coach has limited Knecht's minutes. Over his last six games, Knecht is averaging 6.3 minutes per game.

With little playing time, the rookie's numbers have also plummeted. From early to mid-March, when the Lakers dealt with injuries to key players, Knecht averaged 16.1 points per game. He shot 56.0%, including 42.0% from deep during that stretch. In his last six games, he has averaged 2.3 ppg.

The LA Lakers improved to 46-29 but remain in the No. 4 spot, one game behind the Denver Nuggets and 2.5 games adrift of second-placed Houston. LA likely wants to avoid the OKC Thunder until the Western Conference finals, so reaching No. 3 or No. 2 will be ideal for them.

Dalton Knecht will likely continue to spend his time on the sidelines as the Lakers try to move up the standings.