When LeBron James was ruled out for the Los Angeles Lakers’ game versus the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, it looked like it was time to pencil the Lakers in for a loss even before the opening tip.
They promptly fell behind by double figures early as they seemingly couldn’t hit a basket to save their lives. Down by 19 a few minutes into the fourth quarter, defeat seemed imminent.
But they climbed off the metaphorical mat and whittled away at Milwaukee’s lead, resulting in an improbable 128-124 win in double overtime. While L.A. shot under 40% for the game, three of its players — Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves — scored at least 29 points, and both Russell and Reaves had double figures in assists.
The team won its last game versus Milwaukee on March 8 when it was also without James. Surprisingly, it is 6-4 without him this season, and it has won four of its last five games without the four-time MVP.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, Skip Bayless said the Lakers really enjoy playing without James and play freer when he’s out.
This team really enjoys playing without LeBron. No, no, no: Not that it's better without LeBron, but it definitely plays freer without him.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) March 27, 2024
Bayless has a reputation as a James hater, so one can interpret what they want from this social media post. Was he taking a shot at the 39-year-old or simply making an observation?
