"Not the best closer in basketball" - Skip Bayless throws LeBron James under the bus after the Sacramento Kings beat the Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James
© Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
LeBron James led his Los Angeles Lakers to a 14-point lead against a Domantas Sabonis-less Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, yet couldn't secure a win for his side despite dropping a game-high 32 points. That ensured Skip Bayless' preparation of yet another rant about his inability to have clutch plays on the latest episode of Fox Sports' Undisputed.
Skip was once again disappointed in LeBron
The score was tied at 108 apiece at Crypto.com, with just a bit over a minute to go in the game. However, the Purple and Gold failed to score with the clock dwindling down, and as per Bayless, the accountability was for LeBron James to take the last shots for the Lakers.
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Bayless said, "I heard when the game was starting, (Domantas) Sabonis is out due to illness, I said, 'Okay, that's enough. That's it.' LeBron James has been on an all-time age-38 tear. Never seen anything like it and don't think we'll ever will before. Seven games since he turned 38 on the 30th at Atlanta, he's been averaging 37-10-9… it's just off-the-charts, impossible…extraordinary.
"LeBron James is still to this day the best basket attacker in the game. He's a force of nature when he goes downhill…nobody can stop him from playing bully ball. He can go left, he can go right…dunk it any which way. But he is not the best closer in basketball. He's failing to close all these games."
LeBron and the Lakers suffer 25th loss of the season after the setback against shorthanded Kings
With just 37 games left in the regular season for the LA Lakers, Darvin Ham's team has no room for errors. While LeBron James played a huge role for the home squad with 32 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, and a block, the 17-time NBA champs were once again miserable in the dying moments. Holding LeBron accountable might not be the right call from Bayless.
When a game is as close as this particular encounter, three poor offensive possessions during the rally in the final two minutes were crucial moments for the home team, yet they failed to capitalize on their chances. Interestingly, the LA Lakers have lost more than ten close showdowns in the 2022-23 season.
However, if Darvin Ham's unit is to keep their playoff aspirations alive in a tightly contested Western Conference, there is still time to turn the tables around. Next up for the Lakers would be the resilient Ja Morant-led Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.
