How many points did Dalton Knecht score? Former Tennessee ...

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Knoxville News Sentinel

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How many points did Dalton Knecht score Former Tennessee

How did Dalton Knecht do Thursday in the Lakers preseason game vs. the Suns? Here's a look at his box score:

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Rick Barnes previews Tennessee basketball's preseason practices

Tennessee basketball began preseason practices Tuesday at the start of coach Rick Barnes' 10th season.

The Lakers Show turned into the Dalton Knecht Show inside Footprint Center.

The former Tennessee basketball star scored 35 points on 10-of-18 shooting off the bench in the Los Angeles Lakers' 128-122 overtime win against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.

His stats included an impressive stretch where he took over the game for the Lakers starting in the fourth quarter, where the 6-foot-5 guard scored 20 consecutive points to force overtime. With the win, the Lakers are 2-3 in the NBA preseason.

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The reigning SEC Player of the Year hit a tough 3-pointer from the key over Suns' 7-3 center Bol Bol to force overtime, a shot that even impressed Lakers veterans LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

"It was an incredible performance," Lakers coach J.J. Redick said postgame. "(TNT analyst) Reggie (Miller) and I were talking about it before the game and he was like, 'It was high praise to say he’s in the 1% of shooters' and I’m like 'Nah, he’s in the 1% of shooters.’ The thing about him is just the mentality. It’s been very obvious in pick-up before the season, in training camp, thus far in games. He’s got no fear. He’s not afraid of the moment. That was a show that he put on."

He added with a smirk: "My assistants tried to tell me to not put him back in the game with four minutes to go, so I will get them afterward."

Through the five preseason games, Knecht is averaging 18.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists per game and shooting 43.6% from the field. He fell to the Lakers for the No. 17 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Next up, Knecht and the Lakers will take on Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET to round out the preseason. Knecht's rookie season in the NBA will officially kickoff against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 22 at 10 p.m. ET on TNT.