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

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

That was part of a shootout that saw Knecht hit six 3-pointers in less than four minutes in the Lakers’ 124-118 win over the Jazz Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena.

“It seemed like everyone in the gym knew Dalton Knecht was going to hit the next shot, except for a few people,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “The problem was those few people 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 knows better than anyone that when a shooter has it going, keep feeding him.

Redick turned up play after play to get Knecht shots. However, the Jazz did not respond.

Knecht soon tied the rookie record for three-pointers in a game with nine. The flurry turned an 11-point LA lead into a 25-point lead. Knecht won the Lakers the game. The loss dropped Utah to 3-11 and 0-2 in NBA Cup play, virtually eliminating their ability to advance to the knockout stages of the tournament.

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

Hardy said that thinking as a group is a skill that all great teams have; it is the ability to solve problems together. So if a good shooter takes a few shots, there should be a general understanding not to let him shoot a third – let alone a fourth… or fifth… or sixth.

“The guy makes his second, everyone looks at each other, including the coach, and it’s like he doesn’t get the third.” Hardy said.

Sometimes that even means deviating from the game plan. Knecht torched Utah’s zone in the third quarter; but instead of adjusting to his hot hand, the Jazz overplayed drives, leading to open looks.

There was guilt to go around. Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton both left Knecht open in the first half; and Cody Williams struggled to stay connected with him in the third. So even when the Jazz got a hand in the face… well, it was too late.

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

“Systems, both offensive and defensive, are usually in charge because it helps maintain order on both sides of the ball,” Hardy said. “But there has to be a license to play and to recognize what’s happening around us. And at certain moments you have to say, ‘I don’t care what lines this guy made four in a row.'”

Williams admitted that this was exactly what he should have done.

“That probably should have happened more,” he said. “You mainly get to know your scout and personnel and it’s just kind of reading the game and making adjustments.”

So consider Tuesday a very loud 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 fairly causal double-doubles. They ended up on the wrong side of a rookie shooting explosion.

“Some of the best experiences are lived,” Hardy said. “You have to go through it for a while and you’re kind of hoping, ‘Okay, on the next possession we’re going to get this right.’ And then when it doesn’t happen, you feel – and you’re me – like an idiot, because you think, ‘Oh my god, like it really happened again.’ And so if it’s someone’s fault, it can be mine too.”

That’s also part of Hardy’s coaching philosophy. He doesn’t want to run a program where players look over their shoulders after one miscue. He wants them to work through things together… and overcome mistakes… and ultimately grow together.

So yes, he hoped his team would recognize what everyone else had already figured out: the Lakers would get the ball to Knecht and he would start shooting. It made for a difficult learning experience.

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