Skip Bayless goes off on LeBron James missing clutch free throws, says he "faced his worst nightmare: having to make THREE free throws to force overtime"

NBA and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James came under immense criticism after missing crucial free throws with very little time remaining on the clock against the Golden State Warriors.

One of his biggest critics, Skip Bayless, lambasted the Lakers superstar for missing clutch free throws against Steph Curry and company. Bayless took to Twitter and said:

"LEBRON JAMES, WORST SUPERSTAR LATE-GAME FREE-THROW SHOOTER EVER. Faced his worst nightmare: having to make THREE free throws to force overtime."

Bayless continued:

"Predictably he LeBricked the first. He almost always runs from late-game FT line. Bad call on Steph stuck him where he's most clutchless."

The Lakers lost the game 117-115 as Warriors superstar Klay Thompson erupted for 33 points. LeBron had a tough night on the road despite scoring 26 points in 38 minutes of action. However, he took 27 shots on the night as he shot 33.3% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc. He did have eight assists and 15 rebounds on the night.

The Los Angeles Lakers and their troubles continued as they now find themselves five games below .500 and ninth in the Western Conference standings.

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LeBron James and his 19th season in the league

King James against the Portland Trail Blazers

After turning 37 in December, LeBron James has been a one-man wrecking crew this season for the Lakers as their championship aspirations continue to hang in the balance. However, the precarious position the 26-31 Lakers find themselves in is in no way James' fault as he continues to defy age and logic in year 19.

LeBron is currently averaging 29.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.5 assists while shooting the ball 52% from the field and a little over 35% from beyond the arc. He has recorded four triple-doubles and 14 double-doubles for the Lakers this season. Despite taking a career-high number of attempts from the perimeter per game (7.9), he is still shooting better than his career average from deep with 2.8 made threes per game.

The all-time leader in All-NBA selections is also averaging the fourth-fewest turnovers of his career with 3.2 a night. But despite these incredible numbers, they haven't necessarily translated into wins for the Lakers this campaign.

One of the primary reasons why the Purple and Gold haven't meshed well is the lack of chemistry between James and Russell Westbrook. The injury-stricken Anthony Davis also hasn't helped the team much as he has missed a huge amount of time this season

LeBron James is having an MVP caliber campaign, but because of the Lakers' poor record, he could fall out of contention. If the Lakers are able to pull things together, then perhaps we could see a late surge towards the end of the season and a deep run in the playoffs for the Purple and Gold.