Los Angeles Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht and Detroit Pistons veteran Tobias Harris are the Tennessee Volunteers’ two representatives in the first round of the NBA Playoffs this weekend.
Knecht and Harris will both begin their series on Saturday night.
The 3-seed Knicks will host Harris and the 6-seed Pistons at 6:00 p.m. ET in Madison Square Garden.
Detroit is currently a point underdog heading into the series opener in The Big Apple. Harris, a 14-year veteran in the NBA, is averaging 13.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game for the upstart Pistons. The 6-foot-8 forward is in the first year of his second stint with Detroit after playing in Philadelphia for the last six seasons.
While Harris is averaging his lowest scoring output since the 2015-16 season, his veteran leadership and consistent play have been key factors in Detroit’s incredible turnaround from being a 68-loss team last season to a 38-loss team this season.
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The nightcap on Saturday will see rookie guard Dalton Knecht and the 3-seed Los Angeles Lakers hosting the 6-seed Minnesota Timberwolves at 8:30 p.m. ET in Crypto.com Arena.
Knecht’s whirlwind of a debut season has him in the playoffs, averaging 9.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per contest. Knecht’s year has been up and down at times in terms of usage, particularly after the Lakers’ roster went guard-heavy with the addition of superstar Luka Doncic. Knecht has recorded 20 or more points seven times this year, including 27 in the Lakers’ regular season finale against Portland last Sunday.
After acquiring Doncic before the deadline, the Lakers attempted to trade Knecht to the Charlotte Hornets in a big package for center Mark Williams. The Hornets center couldn’t pass a physical, though, which voided the trade on the Lakers’ end. In just a matter of days, Knecht was adjusting to re-joining an organization that just tried to trade him away. Lakers head coach JJ Redick was complimentary toward Knecht’s resilience through the chaotic stretch.
Former Tennessee wing Julian Phillips was involved in the play-in tournament last Wednesday, but his Chicago Bulls were bounced by the Miami Heat in the win-or-go-home game. Phillips did not record any stats during his one minute on the court in the 109-90 loss.
Here’s a look at Tennessee’s six players from the NBA regular season:
- Pistons F Tobias Harris – 73 games, 73 starts, 13.7 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.2 APG
- Nets G Keon Johnson – 79 games, 56 starts, 10.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.2 APG
- Lakers G Dalton Knecht – 78 games, 16 starts, 9.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 0.8 APG
- Bulls F Julian Phillips – 79 games, 5 starts, 4.6 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 0.5 APG
- Jazz G Jaden Springer – 17 games, 2 starts, 3.8 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.4 APG
- Celtics (first half of season) – 26 games, 0 starts, 1.7 PPG, 0.9 RPG, 0.4 APG
- Total – 43 games, 2 starts, 2.5 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 0.8 APG
- Hornets F Grant Williams – 16 games, 7 starts, 10.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.3 APG
- Suffered torn ACL in late November, underwent successful surgery in December
