Dalton Knecht dazzles down the stretch, leads Lakers to win over Suns

In their penultimate preseason game, Anthony Davis dominated early and Dalton Knecht led the comeback late to guide the Lakers to a victory in Phoenix.

Down LeBron James and Rui Hachimura, the Lakers put up a valiant fight in Phoenix in their penultimate preseason game, winning in overtime, 128-122.

A late rally in the fourth quarter saw Dalton Knecht eventually tie the game with a 3-pointer with 4.8 seconds left as he scored the final seven points of regulation for the purple and gold and 12 in the fourth.

He then continued his red-hot shooting in overtime, scoring the first 13 points for the visitors. For those bad at math, that’s 20 straight Lakers points. Knecht finished with 35 points, 30 of those coming in the second half.

Anthony Davis dominated early, ending with 35 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Austin Reaves had a stellar game, scoring 18 points with eight rebounds.

D’Angelo Russell had 10 assists along with nine points but struggled with his shot, going just 2-9 from the field and 0-5 from beyond the arc. Gabe Vincent pitched in with seven points, going 3-7 from the field.

AD came out the gate red-hot, scoring eight straight points, including two 3-pointers. The Lakers had excellent offense to start with everyone but Max Christie scoring a shot. After LA led by as much as seven, the Suns cut the deficit to one, led by Devin Booker. AD knocked down two more 3-pointers as the Suns kept leaving him wide open from behind the arc.

Phoenix took the lead by one on an 8-0 scoring run. Both teams struggled with consistent defense, but the offense was still hot. Los Angeles jumped ahead by two after a three by Gabe. At the end of the first, LA was up five.

The offense continued to sizzle for both teams to start the second. Cam Reddish was active in the first half, both altering and making shots. LA struggled quite a lot with defending the Suns, which saw Phoenix keep the deficit close.

Gabe scored four straight to put LA up by five. Phoenix answered back immediately to make it a tie game. The Suns took the lead by two with two minutes left in the half. LA struggled to finish the quarter well and found themselves down five.

Phoenix started the third period with a midrange shot, while the Lakers started cold offensively. The Suns were leading, but both teams were playing sloppy. LA’s offense started heating up and they tied the game.

The Suns were able to hold off the Lakers to go up by five, but an assist from Gabe to AD for a layup cut the deficit to two. Phoenix then went on a run to give themselves a lead of eight. LA was having a tough time converting on many easy shots.

The Lakers trailed 90-82 at the end of the third.

The final frame saw the starters for both teams with extended playing time and the Lakers still trailing. The quarter quickly turned into an offensive showdown with a few hints of defense. The Suns held onto a lead of eight as LA tried to get the game closer.

AD converted on a three-point play and the Lakers found themselves within five. He continued to dominate with another layup before being subbed out for the night.

The young Lakers, who were subbed into the game late, were attempting the same comeback they did against the Milwaukee Bucks earlier in the preseason. After getting the deficit all the way down to just three points, Knecht tied the game with his clutch 3-pointer.

The Suns attempted a three but did not connect and the game headed into overtime. Knecht’s confidence was soaring as he knocked down another three.

He then drilled another one to put the Lakers up by four. Phoenix made a three to make it a one-point game. Knecht once again drained a 3-pointer. His stellar performance continued and the Lakers sealed the win in overtime.

Key Takeaways:

The Lakers have a lot of work to do with their defensive schemes. They’ve had a tough time playing consistent defense throughout the preseason.

The offense seems to be flowing quite well. Coach Reddick has the team playing more fluidly than we’ve been accustomed to seeing.

LA has been fighting for rebounds and looking extremely engaged. This will be important throughout the season.

The Lakers’ next preseason game is Friday against the Golden State Warriors at 7:30 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.