No. 4 seed Los Angeles defeated No. 5 Houston, 101-94, Tuesday in Game 2 of the NBA playoffs first round at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
Former Tennessee basketball player Dalton Knecht did not play for Los Angeles due to a coach's decision.
LeBron James led the Lakers in scoring with 28 points. Marcus Smart totaled 25 points and Luke Kennard, a trade deadline acquisition for Los Angeles, scored 23 points against the Rockets. Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic were inactive for Los Angeles.
Knecht was selected in the first round of the 2024 NBA draft (No. 17) by the Lakers.
He transferred to Tennessee from Northern Colorado and played for the Vols during the 2023-24 season under head coach Rick Barnes.
During his one season at Tennessee, Knecht averaged 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He led the Vols to a SEC regular-season championship and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight for a second time in school history.
The Lakers and Rockets will next play Friday in Game 3 of the series. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. EDT at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
More: Did Dalton Knecht play in Lakers-Rockets Game 1?
March 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) passes the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half at Delta Center.March 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Justin Edwards (11) looks to pass as Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) defends during the second half at Delta Center.March 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) plays the ball as Philadelphia 76ers forward Marjon Beauchamp (16) defends during the first half at Delta Center.March 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Cameron Payne (20) shoots the ball against Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) during the first half at Delta Center.March 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) looks to pass as Philadelphia 76ers forward Marjon Beauchamp (16) defends during the first half at Delta Center.March 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Cameron Payne (20) uses a screen by center Adem Bona (30) to move the ball against Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) during the first half at Delta Center.March 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) warms up before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Delta Center.March 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) warms up before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Delta Center.1 / 8PHOTOS: Kennedy Chandler debuts with Utah in NBAMarch 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) passes the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half at Delta Center.1 / 8PHOTOS: Kennedy Chandler debuts with Utah in NBAMarch 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) passes the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half at Delta Center.2 / 8PHOTOS: Kennedy Chandler debuts with Utah in NBAMarch 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Justin Edwards (11) looks to pass as Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) defends during the second half at Delta Center.3 / 8PHOTOS: Kennedy Chandler debuts with Utah in NBAMarch 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) plays the ball as Philadelphia 76ers forward Marjon Beauchamp (16) defends during the first half at Delta Center.4 / 8PHOTOS: Kennedy Chandler debuts with Utah in NBAMarch 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Cameron Payne (20) shoots the ball against Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) during the first half at Delta Center.5 / 8PHOTOS: Kennedy Chandler debuts with Utah in NBAMarch 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) looks to pass as Philadelphia 76ers forward Marjon Beauchamp (16) defends during the first half at Delta Center.6 / 8PHOTOS: Kennedy Chandler debuts with Utah in NBAMarch 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Cameron Payne (20) uses a screen by center Adem Bona (30) to move the ball against Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) during the first half at Delta Center.7 / 8PHOTOS: Kennedy Chandler debuts with Utah in NBAMarch 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) warms up before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Delta Center.8 / 8PHOTOS: Kennedy Chandler debuts with Utah in NBAMarch 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) warms up before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Delta Center.Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Former Vol does not play in NBA playoffs Game 2