The Utah Jazz couldn’t avoid extending their losing streak in Tuesday night’s meeting against the Los Angeles Lakers, as they fell short 118-124, effectively dropping their third straight game and falling back to 0-2 in the NBA Cup. group stage.

Ultimately, it was a big night for Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht, who finished the matchup with a game and career-high 37 points, thanks to stellar shooting from beyond the arc – a total of 9-12 from deep (seven in the second half) in addition to five rebounds and a steal.

In his fourth career start, Knecht already showed during this summer’s draft that he is more than worthy of his 17th overall ranking, also earning a lot of respect from teammate LeBron James.

After the win over Utah, LeBron kept things honest when a reporter asked what he saw in Knecht before the Lakers selected him in this summer’s draft:

“I don’t know. Same s*** I said last year,” James said. “Everyone on the internet calls me a liar all the time. What am I now? I’ve been told… I’ve been watching a lot of Tennessee. I didn’t think (Dalton Knecht) was going to overtake us… I have no idea how that happened, but I’m very grateful and very happy that he’s here… (The front office) didn’t find DK… the other 16 teams screwed up.”

Knecht is off to a solid start in his rookie season, averaging 11.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists on an impressive 46.4% clip from three-point range. An exciting night against the Jazz boosted those numbers significantly, and he could be on pace to keep them moving after Tuesday night’s show.

Over the summer, the Jazz had the opportunity to select Knecht with their 10th overall pick, even reporting some interest in the Tennessee product leading up to the draft. Instead, Danny Ainge and Co. chose. choosing to ride with Colorado’s Cody Williams — a decision that could haunt Utah for years to come, depending on how the next few years turn out.

The Jazz will have two more chances to draw even against Knecht, LeBron and the Lakers later this season, with their next meeting scheduled in just under two weeks on December 1, this time on Utah’s home turf at Delta Center.

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