Los Angeles Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht was ejected during the fourth quarter of Thursday’s 134-96 win over the Washington Wizards.
In the final minutes of the blowout win, Knecht attempted a 3-pointer and believed he wasn’t given space to safely land. The officials let the game play on, but Knecht continued to plead his case despite the fastbreak on the other end of the floor.
It’s unclear what Knecht said to the official, but the former Tennessee star was hit with double technical fouls and tossed from the game. The Lakers were leading by 39 points at the time he was ejected.
He finished the game with 10 points and a rebound across 22 minutes before he was ejected.
The scoring finish was right around his season average of 9.5 points per game. However, he’s gone above and beyond that mark several times this season. During the Lakers’ last time out, a 118-104 loss at the Philadelphia 76ers, he scored 24 points and hauled in five rebounds across 23 minutes on the floor.
Knecht’s career-high still stands at 27 points, a mark he hit back in November during NBA Cup group play vs. the New Orleans Pelicans. He shot 10 of 17 from the floor including five-made 3-point baskets during that matchup. He saw 37 minutes on the court that night.
The rookie was the Lakers’ first-round pick this season, selected No. 17 overall out of Tennessee. In his lone season with the Volunteers, Knecht averaged 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per…
