Everyone knew Dalton Knecht was going to shoot for a Lakers win – everyone except the Jazz

LOS ANGELES – As soon as Dalton Knecht touched the ball on the wing, the Los Angeles Lakers crowd began to grow.

Knecht had just hit two straight 3-pointers from the same spot, and the fans were more excited. The result was predictable: another Knecht splash.

Knecht hit six 3-pointers in less than four minutes in the Lakers' 124-118 win over the Jazz Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena.

Jazz coach Will Hardy said, “It seemed like everyone in the gym knew Dalton was going to shoot the next shot, except for a few people.” “The problem was that some of those guys were on our team.”

Knecht was already hot (he had just made two in a row and already had five total in the game), and Lakers coach JJ Redick knew best that the shooter was feeding off him.

Redick dialed play after play to get Knecht shots. Jaz, however, did not respond.

Soon after, Knecht tied the rookie record for 3-pointers in a game with nine. The fumble turned an 11-point LA advantage into a 25-point one. The Lakers won the game. The loss dropped Utah to 3–11 and 0–2 in NBA playoffs, eliminating them from reaching the playoffs.

“The awareness of what's going on in the game, the ability to identify and solve problems as a team is something we have to continue to work on,” Hardy said. “That's going to be a big part of our growth.”

Hardy said that thinking as a group is an ability of all great teams; It is the ability to solve problems together. So when a good shooter connects on two shots, it should be common sense not to let him get the third shot – not to miss the fourth … or the fifth … or the sixth.

“The guy makes his second, everybody looks at each other, coach included, and it's like, 'He's not getting a third,'” Hardy said.

It also means deviating from the game plan at times. Knecht torched Utah's zone in the third quarter; But instead of adjusting to his hot hand, the Jazz overplayed the drive, leading to open looks.

It was the fault of going for a walk. Lauri Markkanen and Colin Sexton both kept Nech open in the first half; And Cody Williams struggled to keep up with him at third. So even when Jazz touched his face… well, it was too late.

The Jazz forced him into two contested pull-ups to end the third quarter, but he was already in such a rhythm at that point that it didn't matter. He nailed them both.

“Systems, both offensive and defensive, are usually rules because it helps keep things in order on both sides of the ball,” Hardy said. “But you have to have the license to play and recognize what's going on around you. And at some point say, 'I don't care if this guy makes four rules in a row.'

Williams admits that's what he should have done.

“Maybe it should have been done more,” he said. “Especially you get to know your scouts and staff and it's kind of reading the game and making adjustments.”

So consider Tuesday a huge lesson for the rookie wing. The Jazz came into the game worried about LeBron James (26 points and 12 assists) and Anthony Davis (26 points and 14 rebounds), both of whom had double-doubles. They ended up on the wrong end of a rookie shooting spree.

“Some of the best experiences have been lived,” Hardy said. “You've got to find some way through it, and you're hoping, like, 'OK, this next possession, we're going to get this right.' And then when it doesn't happen, you — and you're me — you feel like an idiot, because you're like, 'Oh my God, it happened again.' And so if anyone's at fault, it might as well be mine.”

That's part of Hardy's coaching philosophy, too. He doesn't want to run a program where players look over their shoulders after a mistake. They want them to work together … and overcome mistakes … and eventually grow together.

So, yes, he hoped his team would figure out what everyone else had already figured out: The Lakers were going to get Natch the ball and he was going to take the shot. It made for a tough learning moment.

“When I watch our team play, there's more good basketball being played than bad — the bad moments are really loud right now,” Hardy said.