LeBron James stood at midcourt at the start of the quarter, hands on his hips as a soft cheer began to echo through the building.
“MVP. Most Valuable Player.”
For 22 seasons, James has stood on the court with those letters shouted at him, the league’s all-time leading scorer, one of its greatest players who earned adoration in buildings across the league.
But increasingly in Los Angeles, those three letters have been directed at James’ teammates. Anthony Davis is the second-leading scorer in the league, and when he approached the foul line, the crowd serenaded him on multiple occasions.
However, these letters were not for him either. This moment was not for them.
With James sidelined and Davis on the bench, that chant gained momentum for the 17th pick.th in this past NBA draft, a player who, for the second straight home game, had the crowd bouncing as shot after shot sailed through the net.
And although he is not the most valuable in the league, in the Lakers 124-118 victory against Utah Jazz In NBA Cup pool play, no one meant more than Dalton Knecht.
Read more: Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht is shooting and swinging it
Knecht tied the NBA record for most three-pointers made by a rookie, making nine, and finished with a career-high 37 points. In his last two home games, Knecht made 14 of his 17 3-pointers.
And when he hit two free throws early in the fourth, after a great show, the crowd showed its appreciation.
The Lakers have won six games in a row.
The hot shot came with Knecht in the starting lineup for the third game in a row, replacing the injured Rui Hachimura. The Lakers, coach JJ Redick said, are hoping to have Hachimura and injured center Jaxson Hayes back sometime this week due to ankle injuries.
Knecht opened the game with an open 3-pointer in front of the Utah bench. His next shot, another three, easily went through the net.
But it was in the second half when Knecht, for the second consecutive game, turned the situation around. In the Lakers’ close victory Saturday in New Orleans, he brought them back to life with 11 points in the third quarter.
Three days later, that seems like nothing in comparison.
In just over three minutes, near the end of the quarter, Knecht scored 18 points. He made one three. Then another. Then another. Then another. He committed a foul and made three free throws. And, to top it all off, he hit another triple.
After the four consecutive hits, he shrugged like Michael Jordan did in the 1992 NBA Finals.
He finished the quarter with 21 points, the most by a rookie in the NBA this season and the fourth-highest scoring quarter by a player all season.
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This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.