In Thursday night’s game against the Orlando Magic, Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht was crucial again, this time in a last-second loss.

In 38 minutes in the starting lineup, he scored 17 points, behind only Anthony Davis and LeBron James. He shot 7-for-14 overall and hit three of his seven triples. He also grabbed four rebounds and provided one assist.

The teams went head-to-head for most of the game before Los Angeles pulled away with just minutes left in the fourth. Orlando would do its best to stay afloat, with Franz Wagner hitting a clutch three to put Orlando ahead by one with 2.5 seconds to play.

Despite the loss, Knecht continued to show his skills.

The former Volunteer is coming off a record-breaking night, tying the rookie record for triples with nine against the Jazz. Scoring a total of 37 points – he led the Lakers – he scored a rating of 22 consecutive points from the end of the third quarter to the beginning of the fourth quarter.

The team had previously won six straight games and is now 11-5 on the season, tied for No. 3 in the Western Conference with Houston and trailing Golden State and Oklahoma City. It was the team’s first home loss of the year.

For those who saw the product without Knecht, it’s clear he’s a positive force next to Davis, and more specifically the pass-heavy James.

Los Angeles will next take on their Western Conference rivals in the Denver Nuggets, who appeared to have found their footing behind the heroics of Nikola Jokic after a slow start.

The Lakers and Nuggets tip off on Saturday, November 23 at 9:30 PM.

Would you like to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the reporting.