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LeBron James got off to a hot start last night for the LA Lakers against the Indiana Pacers. However, he faded in the second half, particularly in the fourth quarter, which was a big reason for the Lakers’ ugly loss.
Promptly after the game, Skip Bayless pointed out what happened to the Lakers superstar:
“LeBron just played a brutal 4th quarter, guarded by 6-3 rookie Nembhard, allowing Lakers to lose a 17 point lead at home to an Indiana playing back to back. NO CLOSER GENE. He finally did make late layup to give LA a two point lead. But Nembhard, LBJ's man, drained a buzzer 3 to win it.”
The LA Lakers went to LeBron James early in the game and the four-time MVP delivered. He scored via a jumper and two free throws before nailing his first 3-pointer of the game. Unfortunately for James, he rolled his ankle after he stepped on Tyrese Haliburton’s foot.
From thereon, he struggled with his shots. He scored 14 points in the first half and added seven more in the game’s last 24 minutes.
The Lakers didn’t look like they needed LeBron scoring as they had a 17 point lead with 9:59 left on the clock. Indiana’s resilient crew, however, refused to cave in and slowly trimmed the deficit in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.
James was 2-of-8 in the final period and often took ill advised shots. He sometimes held onto the ball for too long and ended up with a heavily contested jumper. “King James” was a big reason why the Lakers lost momentum after building a nearly insurmountable lead.
Despite his struggles, LeBron James did not shy away from the biggest moment. His floater with 20.9 seconds left gave the Lakers a 115-113 lead before rookie Andrew Nembhard sank a three-pointer at the buzzer.
After the game, James lamented that everything that could go wrong went wrong for them tonight. The ankle must have really bothered him as he hardly took advantage of the smaller and shorter Nembhard when the rookie was guarding him.
The Lakers should have involved Anthony Davis more on offense. AD, who has been on a tear over his last six games, took just two shots in the fourth quarter.
Skip Bayless takes another shot at LeBron James’ GOAT claim after the loss to the Indiana Pacers
Skip Bayless has repeatedly and consistently dismissed arguments for LeBron James as the greatest basketball player ever over Michael Jordan. He also seems to find more and more ammunition for MJ as the GOAT every time the Lakers lose a game.
After the stunning defeat to the Indiana Pacers, the Fox Sports talk show host piled on his criticism of James:
“Will somebody please explain how Lebron James allowed his Lakers to blow a 17 point 4th quarter lead at home to Pacers playing back to back??? And he's supposed to be the GOAT??? Not exactly Jordanesque.”
The LA Lakers have an upcoming six-game road trip, and if they continue to struggle, Bayless’ criticism will only get louder. LA’s east coast itinerary will be brutal. If James’ ankle sprain compromises him and the team stumbles, expect Bayless to be brutal and vicious with his comments.
