Skip Bayless surprised by LeBron James’ 4th quarter decisions against Detroit Pistons: "I was encouraged by LeBron showing up in the 4th quarter”

LeBron James logged his second-highest scoring performance of the season as the Lakers defeated the Detroit Pistons 124-117 at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday.

James tallied 35 points, five rebounds and five assists and Anthony Davis had a 34-point, 15-rebound double-double in snapping a three-game losing streak.

Austin Reaves scored nine crucial points on three 3-pointers. One of those put a lid on the game as Reaves sunk one from the right corner with 12 seconds to go in the game.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored a game-high 38 points and kept the Pistons (7-22) in the contest right till the end. Sadiq Bey added 14 points, shooting 4-for-8 from 3-point range, and rookie Jaden Ivey added 16 points.

FS1's Skip Bayless commented on LeBron James' and the Lakers' performance and noted Russell Westbrook's absence from the closing lineup:

"I was encouraged by LeBron actually showing up. He actually attacked the basket. He actually drove the basketball and tried to secure the win over Bogdanovic and company. ... Austin Reaves closed the deal.

"I was also impressed that Darvin Ham said no to Russell Westbrook in the fourth quarter because Darvin Ham said, 'You've turned it over four times and you put up good numbers. I am going to stick with the guys who are operating the offense cleanly, the way it should be operated.' ... Mr. Westbrook will not like that."

Westbrook snapped his early-season woes after Ham reinstated his position on the team as a premier sixth-man. The decision was unarguably the right one.

LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook trio takes full effect

LeBron James, left, and Russell Westbrook.

In the last month or so, the LA Lakers (11-15) have looked the most cohesive they have ever been with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook.

The two things that have catalyzed this transformation are Anthony Davis' return to form and Lakers coach Darvin Ham's decision to bring Westbrook off the bench. Since Nov. 13, Davis has been averaging 32.0 points and 14.2 rebounds per game on 65.2% shooting, including 38.5% from 3-point range. Davis also currently leads the league in rebounding, with 12.4 per game.

In the same timespan, Westbrook has averaged 12.8 ppg and 8.2 assists per game. He's currently the odds-on favorite to win the Sixth Man of the Year award, with DraftKings Sportsbook putting him at +130, with the Golden State Warriors' Jordan Poole at +350 coming in second.

With LeBron not having to bear the majority of the load, the Lakers are slowly moving towards saving a season that was considered all but over not long ago.