Lakers’ Knecht continues to impress

Dalton Knecht could only shrug when he buried his fourth consecutive 3-pointer and sent the Lakers’ arena into a frenzy. That was a very specific shrug by the rookie, however — the one made famous by Michael Jordan in the 1992 NBA Finals after a legendary 3-point flurry. “Rui (Hachimura) was talking to me about (how) I need to get a 3-point celebration,” Knecht said. “I didn’t know what to do, so I just gave the shrug.” A shrug is also the accurate response to the question many fans are asking after Knecht’s 37-point barrage Tuesday: Just how did Knecht fall to the Lakers with the 17th pick in last summer’s draft? Knecht torched the Jazz with nine 3-pointers in the Lakers’ 124-118 win, tying the single-game rookie record. He got on a major roll in the third quarter, hitting those four consecutive 3s before adding three free throws and another triple — and yet another 3 at the start of the fourth. Knecht moved into the Lakers’ starting lineup four games ago, and he has been averaging 24.3 points per game while going an astonishing 21 for 31 on 3-pointers.

Jets owner wanted Rodgers benched

Dysfunction follows the Jets, and it continued Tuesday with the firing of general manager Joe Douglas and the subsequent report in The Athletic that owner Woody Johnson has taken his meddling to new heights. All of that has led to questions surrounding the future of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was supposed to revive the Jets following a 2023 offseason trade. A report from The Athletic on Tuesday revealed that Johnson made a wild suggestion earlier this season to bench Rodgers, above, after only four games. With the Jets at 2-2 after a brutal loss to the Broncos, Johnson reportedly called a meeting at the end of September with the coaching staff and suggested benching the four-time league MVP, who was just 10 days removed from a vintage performance in a win over the Patriots. The coaching staff reportedly talked Johnson out of the notion, which would have been a disaster in the locker room. A week later Johnson made the decision to fire Saleh. This season, Rodgers has looked like a 40-year-old a year removed from an Achilles tear; he has thrown for 2,442 yards with 17 TDs and seven picks.

Italy claims Billie Jean King Cup title

Two-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini capped a breakthrough season by leading Italy to its first Billie Jean King Cup title since 2013 on Wednesday in Malaga, Spain, defeating Rebecca Sramkova 6-2, 6-1 to seal a 2-0 victory over Slovakia in the final of the women’s team competition. When Paolini’s win ended, she was joined on court by her teammates, and they embraced each other, then danced and sang along as the Gypsy Kings’ version of “Volare” blared on the loudspeakers. The No. 4-ranked Paolini, above, was the runner-up at the French Open in June and at Wimbledon in July, making her the first woman since Serena Williams in 2016 to get to the title matches at Roland Garros and the All England Club in the same season. Before this year, Paolini, who’s 28, had lost in the first or second round in all 16 career appearances at majors. “A crazy year,” Paolini said. “I feel lucky to be in the position ... to be part of this team.” She and Sara Errani won a doubles gold medal at the Paris Olympics in August. No. 78 Lucia Bronzetti took Wednesday’s opener. —News services