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LeBron James' absence on Tuesday night didn't affect the LA Lakers, as they pulled off a two-OT thriller against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.
Led by Anthony Davis' monster night - 34 points and 23 rebounds - the Lakers pulled off a 128-124 win at the Fiserv Forum to keep their playoff hopes alive and start their tough six-game road trip with a win. That they did it without James made it all the more special. The wins also had fans talking about LA's winning record without the four-time NBA champion on the floor.
Statmuse tweeted that the Purple and Gold have had a better win percentage without James this season.
That had fans roasting James, with one tweeting:
"He's the problem in LA"
Here are some of the top reactions on X:
The Lakers have played better ball without James this season, primarily because they shore up on both ends of the floor to fill the void.
They are forced to play a certain way, and that also means the pressure to deliver lies on the remaining players on the roster. However, it would be unfair to conclude that the Lakers are better without the 39-year-old.
In his 21st season in the NBA, LeBron James has proved that he can still be a wrecking ball. He averages 25.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 8.1 assists in 62 games this season, shooting 53.0% from the field and 40.6% from beyond the arc.
Why did LeBron James not play against the Milwaukee Bucks?
LeBron James has dealt with left ankle peroneal tendinopathy throughout the season and has missed 10 games for the Lakers.
At the time of writing, there's no official word on whether he will play the next two games this week. The Lakers head back to the West to play the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, marking a back-to-back, and the Indiana Pacers on Friday.
The Grizzlies contest is one of the winnable ones, which will boost their bid to avoid the play-in tournament. The Lakers are two wins behind the Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings. They have 10 regular-season games left, and LeBron James playing most of them will help the team finish on a high.
The good news is that the Lakers team has shown that they can hold their own without LeBron James and Davis, but only time will tell if they can sustain that run.
Guess the Lakers players!
