LeBron James stood at midcourt early in the fourth, hands on his hips as a faint cheer began to echo through the building.
“MVP. MVP.”
For 22 seasons, James was on the court as those letters were shouted at him, the league’s all-time leading scorer, one of its greatest players earning the adoration in buildings all over the league.
But increasingly in Los Angeles, those three letters were aimed at James’ teammates. Anthony Davis is the league’s second-leading scorer, and when he steps to the foul line, the crowd serenades him repeatedly.
However, these letters were not for him either. This moment, it was not for them.
With James well out of the play and Davis on the bench, that chant barely picked up steam for the player’s pick 17th in this past NBA draft, a player who, for the second straight home game, had the crowd bouncing as shot after shot ripped through the net.
And although he is not the most valuable of the league, in the Lakers 124-118 win against the Utah Jazz in NBA Cup pool play, no one meant more than Dalton Knecht.
Read more: Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht takes his shot and swings it
Knecht tied the NBA record for most threes made by a rookie, hitting nine, as he finished with a career-high 37 points. In his last two home games, Knecht’s made 14 of his 17 three-point shots.
And as he shot two free throws early in the fourth, after one heck of a show, the crowd showed their appreciation.
The Lakers have won six straight games.
The hot shooting came with Knecht in the starting lineup for the third straight game, replacing an injured Rui Hachimura. The Lakers, coach JJ Redick said, hope to have Hachimura and injured center Jaxson Hayes back sometime this week from ankle injuries.
Knecht opened the game by hitting a wide open three in front of the Utah bench. His next shot, another three, easily ripped through the net.
But it was in the second half that Knecht, for the second straight game, turned things around. In the tight victory of the Lakers on Saturday in New Orleans, he revived them with 11 points in the third quarter.
Three days later, that seems like nothing in comparison.
In just over three minutes near the end of the quarter, Knecht scored 18 points. He made one three. Then another. Then another. Then another. He fouled out and made three free throws. And, as a tip, he drilled another three-pointer.
After the four straight marks, he shrugged his shoulders like Michael Jordan did in the 1992 NBA Finals.
He finished the quarter with 21 points, the most by a rookie in the NBA this season and the fourth-highest scoring quarter by a player all year.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
