LeBron James stood at center court early in the fourth with his hands on his hips as a faint cheer began to reverberate through the building.
“MVP. MVP.”
James had been on the court for 22 seasons, while he, the league’s leading scorer, one of its greatest players, who won admiration in buildings around the league, was shouted at by these letters.
But in Los Angeles, those three letters were increasingly aimed at James’ teammates. Anthony Davis is the league’s second-leading scorer and has been serenaded by the crowd on multiple occasions when he gets to the foul line.
But even these letters were not for him. This moment was not for them.
With James out and Davis on the bench, this scandalous chant took a bit of a breather for the player who picked 17Th in this past NBA draft, a player who had the crowd jumping as shot after shot tore through the net for the second straight home game.
And while he’s not the league’s most valuable player, no one was more important than Dalton Knecht in the Lakers’ 124-118 win over the Utah Jazz in an NBA Cup pool game.
Read more: Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht takes his shot and swings
Knecht tied the NBA record for most three-pointers made by a rookie, hitting nine as he finished with a career-high 37 points. In his last two home games, Knecht made 14 of 17 three-pointers.
And as he hit two free throws early in the fourth, after a huge show, the crowd showed its appreciation.
The Lakers have won six games in a row.
The hot shooting came with Knecht in the starting lineup for the third straight game, replacing the injured Rui Hachimura. Coach JJ Redick said the Lakers hope to have Hachimura and injured center Jaxson Hayes back sometime this week from ankle injuries.
Knecht opened the game by hitting an open 3-pointer in front of the Utah bench. His next shot, three more, broke the net with ease.
But it was in the second half that Knecht turned things around for the second game in a row. He brought the Lakers back to life with 11 third-quarter points in the Lakers’ close win Saturday in New Orleans.
Three days later, it seems like nothing in comparison.
A little more than three minutes before the end of the quarter, Knecht scored 18 points. He made one three-pointer. Then another. Then another. Then another. He recorded a foul and three free throws. And as a topper, he drilled another triple.
After four straight performances, he shrugged like Michael Jordan in the 1992 NBA Finals.
He finished the quarter with 21 points, the most by an NBA rookie this season and the fourth-highest quarter of the season.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.