"LeBron James owes his team an epic Game 5" - Skip Bayless surprisingly backs LA Lakers to take out Phoenix Suns despite AD's injury

LeBron James' LA Lakers were outplayed by the Phoenix Suns in Game 4, as Chris Paul and co. ran out 100-92 winners at Staples Center, tying the series at 2-2. The series continues in Phoenix on Tuesday, where James and the LA Lakers will be looking to pull one back.

Skip Bayless backs LeBron James and the LA Lakers to win Game 5 against Phoenix Suns

The LA Lakers suffered a nightmare 3rd quarter in Game 4 against the Phoenix Suns

Popular NBA analysts and 'Undisputed' hosts Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe are known for their allegiances to the LA Clippers and the LA Lakers, respectively. So it was surprising when Bayless - a noted critic of LeBron James - backed him up to win Game 5 against the Suns on Tuesday. The host went on to demand a great showing from the King in Game 5.

"LeBron James owns his team an epic Game 5. Because I still think he, and they [LA Lakers] are still capable of winning this."

LeBron James had a great outing in Game 4 despite the loss, putting up 25 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists but wasn't able to lead his team to a win. The LA Lakers desperately missed the services of Anthony Davis, who was not available for the second half of the game due to a groin issue.

On a scale of 1-10 of how much trouble the Lakers are in, I’m gonna go down to a 2. They are in little to no trouble because we are talking about "The GOAT." More @Undisputed, now on FS1 https://t.co/5OaEK9qdDp

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 31, 2021

There is a high chance Davis will miss out on Game 5, which means there will be added responsibility on LeBron James' shoulders, especially on offense.

Replacing Anthony Davis' production is going to be a tough task for the LA Lakers, especially with Andre Drummond, the team's starting center, flattering to deceive so far. Montrezl Harrell has been sporadically used, but Marc Gasol's performances have been encouraging.

.@Chris_Broussard doesn't think LeBron can win this series without AD:"It's just too much to ask of LeBron at this stage in his career. LeBron without a second star has not beaten a team this good since 2007." pic.twitter.com/lBG3kcPTt5

— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) May 31, 2021

The Phoenix Suns, on the other hand, have had their own injury issues to deal with. Chris Paul looked like a shadow of himself in the first three games after injuring his shoulder mid-way through Game 1.

But he recovered last night to score a team-high 18 points and dish out 9 assists to ensure the Phoenix Suns made it 2-2 in the first round of their NBA Western Conference playoff matchup.

The Suns have been a gritty and disciplined unit so far, and LeBron James will have to be the best version of himself to ensure that the LA Lakers take Game 5.