NBA

Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Lakers

· NBA Cup - Group Play
3-11, 2-6 Away
Final
118 - 124

10-4, 7-0 Home

Dalton Knecht scores 37 with rookie record-tying 9 3-pointers, leading Lakers past Jazz 124-118

LeBron James has reporters laughing over Dalton Knecht draft comments

LeBron James had 26 points and 12 assists, and Anthony Davis had 26 points and 14 rebounds as the Lakers improved to 7-0 at home. Austin Reaves added 17 points for the defending NBA Cup champions, who improved to 2-0 in group play this season.

The Lakers hadn't won six straight games since February 2021, shortly after their championship run in the Florida bubble.

Lauri Markkanen scored 25 points for the Jazz, who have lost three straight. Keyonte George scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, and Collin Sexton added nine of his 19 in the fourth.

Rui Hachimura missed his third straight game with a sprained ankle. Bronny James sat with a bruised heel.

Takeaways Jazz: Another rough night for a rebuilding team, lowlighted by John Collins' flagrant foul for striking Davis in the groin. The 43-point fourth quarter was impressive, but too late.

Lakers: Knecht has been outstanding since joining the starting lineup four games ago, racking up 24.3 points per game while hitting 21 3-pointers. He has been the catch-and-shoot threat long lacked by James and Davis.

Key moment Knecht hit 3-pointers on four consecutive possessions in the third quarter, getting the entire crowd on its feet. He scored 21 points in the third alone. His ninth 3-pointer put LA up by 25 early in the fourth, but he didn't score again, and Utah trimmed the lead down the stretch.

Key stat Knecht tied the single-game rookie 3-pointer record shared by Rodrigue Beaubois (2010), Yogi Ferrell (2017) and Utah’s Keyonte George (2024).

Up next Jazz: Visit San Antonio on Thursday to end their four-game trip.

Lakers: Host Orlando on Thursday.

Regular Season Series

LAL lead series 1-0

Recent Plays

4th 0.0 End of Game 118 - 124
4th 0.0 End of the 4th Quarter 118 - 124
4th 2.1 Lauri Markkanen makes 26-foot three pointer (Kyle Filipowski assists) 118 - 124
4th 5.1 Cam Reddish makes free throw 2 of 2 115 - 124
4th 5.1 Cam Reddish makes free throw 1 of 2 115 - 123

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/utah.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originUTAH https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/lal.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originLAL
45-90 FG 42-76
50 Field Goal % 55
12-36 3PT 14-31
33 Three Point % 45
16-19 FT 26-36
84 Free Throw % 72
42 Rebounds 34
11 Offensive Rebounds 6
31 Defensive Rebounds 28
28 Assists 30
9 Steals 9
0 Blocks 5
14 Turnovers 14
2 Team Turnovers 0
16 Total Turnovers 14
0 Technical Fouls 0
0 Total Technical Fouls 0
1 Flagrant Fouls 0
20 Points Conceded Off Turnovers 15
19 Fast Break Points 10
66 Points in Paint 52
24 Fouls 16
2 Largest Lead 25
Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Lakers Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Rui Hachimura, F Day-To-Day Dec 21
Deandre Ayton, C Day-To-Day Dec 21
Luka Doncic, G Day-To-Day Dec 20
Austin Reaves, G Out Dec 19
Gabe Vincent, G Out Dec 18
Utah Jazz Utah Jazz Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Kevin Love, F Out Dec 21
Lauri Markkanen, F Day-To-Day Dec 21
Georges Niang, F Out Dec 15
Walker Kessler, C Out Nov 5

Game Information

crypto.com Arena

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Attendance: 18,997 · Capacity:

2025-26 Northwest Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Oklahoma City 25 3 .893 - L1
Denver 20 7 .741 4.5 L1
Minnesota 19 10 .655 6.5 W2
Portland 12 16 .429 13 W3
Utah 10 17 .370 14.5 L2

2025-26 Pacific Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
LA Lakers 19 8 .704 - L1
Phoenix 15 13 .536 4.5 L1
Golden State 14 15 .483 6 W1
LA Clippers 7 21 .250 12.5 W1
Sacramento 7 22 .241 13 W1
Full Standings

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