Next Steps for Dalton Knecht as Lakers Look to Extend Win Streak on Nov. 21

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A Steph flex, a Steph five, and a cherished memory that will endure for a lifetime.

THE LINEUP

Nov. 21, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?

Knecht-ing The Dots: How a rookie and the Lakers’ dynamic

duo are propelling L.A.’s hot start

Cade’s Breakout Campaign: Detroit’s blossoming superstar is

fueling a Pistons resurgence

Giannis Takeover: When the Bucks needed him, the Greek Freak

turned into an unstoppable force

Early Outbursts: A career-high in Cleveland and a scorching

Knicks tandem sparked big wins

Wednesday Roundup: The wild race out West tightened with more

Ws atop the standings

BUT FIRST … ⏰

A red-hot Thursday…

Win Streak On The Line: Seeking their

seventh straight win, LeBron James and the surging Lakers will

look to remain perfect at home as they host the Magic tonight on

League Pass (10:30 ET

). The showdown caps Thursday’s four-game slate, which begins on

NBA TV as the Hornets face the Pistons (7 ET

C’s Visit White House: Watch the 2023-24 champion Celtics visit

The White House at 4:30 ET on NBA TV and the NBA App.

BAL’s Milestone 5th Season: The Basketball Africa League’s

fifth season will tip off on April 5, in Rabat, Morocco and

culminate with the 2025 BAL Finals on June 14 in Pretoria, South

Africa. The 2025 BAL season will feature the top 12 club teams

from 12 African countries playing 48 games in Rabat; Dakar,

Senegal; Kigali, Rwanda; and Pretoria.

1. THE LAKERS KNECHT-ING ALL THE DOTS

When JJ Redick was introduced as the Lakers’ 29th head coach in

June, he set the tone right away.

“Sitting in this seat, I know what the expectations are … It’s

my job, it’s our staff’s job … it’s [on] all of us to deliver a championship-caliber team. That’s what I signed up for.”

Two days later, Redick had his first draft experience as a

head coach, contributing to the selection of Dalton Knecht as the

No. 17 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Now, Los Angeles is 10-4 — its best 14-game start since 2020-21

— and has won six straight games, marking its longest win streak

in nearly four years.

And the Lakers’ first-rounder is playing a major role in the

team’s early season success.

Knecht 4 From 3: Knecht is shooting 46.4% from deep, which is

a team-high and leads all rookies (min. four 3PA per game)

Rookie History: In Tuesday’s win over the Jazz, Knecht dropped

37 points while tying the rookie record for 3s in a game with nine — and he did it in just three dribbles

“He can do more than just shoot,” said Anthony Davis after the

performance. “But he’s really good at shooting … We get mad at him when he doesn’t shoot.”

Knecht’s Impact: Now No. 3 on Steve Aschburner’s Kia Rookie

Ladder rankings, Knecht is on pace to be the first Lakers rookie to shoot over 45% from 3 in a season (min. 4 3PA) and Los Angeles is 5-1 when he scores in double figures

The Lakers’ stars are also instrumental to their impressive

start, with Davis stepping up as a scorer and LeBron James

excelling in a new role.

AD Dominating: Davis is averaging a career-high 30.7 points

per game — the second-most in the NBA — while shooting a career-best 56.7% from the floor and adding 11.4 rebounds

Rare Pace: Davis is on pace to join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (3x),

Giannis Antetokounmpo (3x) and Karl Malone as the only players in NBA history to average 30+ points and 10+ boards on 55% shooting or better in a season

LeBron The Playmaker: Meanwhile, James is taking the least

amount of shots per game of his career (16.6 FGA) while averaging the second-most assists of his career (9.4 apg)

LBJ Efficiency: LeBron is also posting the lowest usage rate of

his career (26.4), but is second on the team in scoring (23.5 ppg) thanks to a career-high 41.6% 3-point percentage

The Lakers are 7-0 at Crypto.com Arena, where their win streak

will be on the line Thursday against another surging squad — the

Orlando Magic — who saw their six-game win streak snapped last

night.

Will Los Angeles remain perfect at home or will Orlando rebound

by playing spoiler? Find out tonight on League Pass (10:30 ET).

2. CADE’S BREAKOUT CAMPAIGN & THE PISTONS’ RESURGENCE

“The sky is the limit for where he’s going to be able to go.”

Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said on Cade Cunningham this

summer. “I think he’s a stud, I don’t think there’s a lot he

can’t do on the basketball floor.”

Last season, the Pistons didn’t earn their seventh win until

Feb. 7.

Through 16 games this season, they’re 7-9 and hold a Playoff

spot in the East — and Cunningham is a primary reason why.

Career Year: This season, Cunningham is averaging

career-highs in points (23.3), assists (8.8), rebounds (7.3), and 3-point percentage (37.1%)

MVP Company: He’s also just one of three players averaging 23+

points, 8+ assists and 7+ boards, joining Nikola Jokić and LeBron James

Cade’s Cooking: In his three seasons prior to 2024-25,

Cunningham notched two career triple-doubles. This season, he has four, all of which have come in November

“I don’t say this lightly by any means … but he’s the guy,”

said Bickerstaff. “He has the ability to be the guy on an elite basketball team because of all the things he’s capable of doing.”

Three of Cunningham’s four triple-doubles this season came in

consecutive games, including a 20-point, 10-rebound and 10-assist

performance against the Hornets. However, Charlotte got the win

at the buzzer thanks to a Brandon Miller tip-in.

Tonight, the two sides will rematch on NBA TV to tip off

Thursday’s four-game slate

Pistons at Hornets (7 ET, NBA TV)

Timberwolves at Raptors (7:30 ET)

Jazz at Spurs (8 ET)

Magic at Lakers (10:30 ET)

3. GIANNIS TAKES OVER AS BUCKS KEEP CLIMBING

After losing to the Celtics 11 days ago to fall to 2-8, Bucks

head coach Doc Rivers pointed to Milwaukee’s 15-point 3rd quarter

as a turning point in the game and a recurring problem for the

team:

“We came out flat. That happens — I don’t know why. And they

took advantage of it … We were the aggressor for two quarters, and then they were the aggressor in the 3rd quarter … and we really never played well again. ”

On Wednesday, Milwaukee began to lose control again in the

3rd, watching its once 18-point lead in the 2nd quarter whittle

down to two after the break.

But Giannis Antetokounmpo refused to watch the win slip away

and scored 25 of the Bucks’ 29 points in the 3rd quarter on his

way to a game-high 41 points

, nine rebounds and eight assists, leading Milwaukee to a

122-106 win over Zach LaVine (27 pts, 6 ast) and the Bulls. |

Recap

Giannis Makes History: It’s Giannis’ 21st career game with

40+ points while shooting over 70% from the field, which breaks a tie with Adrian Dantley for the most in NBA history

Greek Freak Takes Over: Giannis went 11-of-13 from the field in

the 3rd quarter, and the only other Buck to score a field goal in the period was AJ Green, who hit a 3 off an assist from — guess who — Giannis

More Bucks Buckets: Brook Lopez (21) notched 20+ points for

the third time in four games, while Damian Lillard added 20 points and 10 dimes

Bucks Bouncing Back: Since falling to 2-8, Milwaukee has won

four of its last five games to improve to 6-9 on the season

“We’re getting better,” said Antetokounmpo after the win. “We

trust one another, and we’re improving.”

4. EARLY SCORING OUTBURSTS: TY JEROME & BRUNSON POP OFF

Cavaliers 128, Pelicans 100: One day after suffering

their first loss of the season at the hands of the reigning

champs, the 16-1 Cavs bounced back in emphatic fashion with a

wire-to-wire win over the shorthanded Pelicans, led by Ty

Jerome’s career-high 29 points. | Recap

Ty Time: Jerome scored 27 points in the 1st half

on seven 3s, as the Cavs took a 69-55 lead at the break and never looked back

Spida Reaches 12K Points: Playing in his 484th career game,

Donovan Mitchell (10 pts) became the fourth fastest active player to reach 12,000 career points, trailing only Joel Embiid (431 games), LeBron James (438) and Kevin Durant (452)

Allen Elevates: Jarrett Allen (16 pts, 11 reb) got UP for this

monster poster, registering the 10th-highest dunk score of the season at 98.5

Knicks 138, Suns 122: One game after dropping a season-high 134

points in a win over Washington, the Knicks topped it with 138,

including 76 in the 1st half, as Jalen Brunson (36 pts, 10 ast, 7

3s) and Karl-Anthony Towns (34 pts, 10 reb) combined for 70

to power New York past Devin Booker (33 pts) and the Suns. |

Recap

Brunson Ballin’ Early: Brunson posted 23 points and seven

assists in the 1st half while going 8-of-9 from the floor and 4-for-4 from downtownSun Burner: Highlighted by a 50-point outing last December, Brunson is now averaging 40.3 ppg in his last three matchups against Phoenix

Knicks Fever: The Knicks never trailed and have now won four

straight games, while the Suns have dropped five in a row

5. WEDNESDAY ROUNDUP: WILD WEST HEATS UP

Thunder 109, Blazers 99: Jalen Williams (30 pts, 7 reb, 8 ast,

2 stl, 2 blk) stuffed the stat sheet

and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 22 of his 28 points in the 2nd

half as the Thunder outpaced Shaedon Sharpe (21 pts) and the

Blazers for a timely win after dropping two straight games. |

Recap

Hartenstein Says Hello: In his first game with the Thunder

after missing the first month of the season with a fractured hand, Isaiah Hartenstein set the OKC record for rebounds in a debut (14), while adding 13 points and four blocks, including this rejection leading to a lob at the other end

“It was amazing,” said Hartenstein on checking in for the first

time. “Just to hear how loud the crowd was … very welcoming. Makes it so much easier to play my heart out.”

Warriors 120, Hawks 97: Andrew Wiggins led all

scorers with 27 points, while Steph Curry added 23 points, eight

dimes and one outrageous bucket

to help spark a 24-2 run in the 1st quarter, giving the Dubs a

double-digit lead they never relinquished. Golden State improved

to 11-3 with the win. | Recap

Rockets 130, Pacers 113: Alperen Sengun went off for 31 points

and 12 boards, while Jabari Smith Jr. tallied 23 points and 11

other Rockets scored as Houston raced past Pascal Siakam (21 pts)

and Indiana for its sixth win in seven games, improving its