"BEEN POUTING THIS ENTIRE QUARTER" - Skip Bayless slams LeBron James' lack of activity offensively in clutch vs Denver
Skip Bayless went off on LeBron James after the LA Lakers' loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. Bayles was very critical of James' performance in the fourth quarter, lacking energy and drive, as the Nuggets earned a 114-103 win.
In a tweet, Bayles was not happy with how "King James" was "pouting" for most of the final period. The Lakers superstar scored just two points in the fourth quarter and was not actively trying to attack the basket. The two points he made happened with less than 40 seconds left, with the game already decided.
"LEBRON HAS BEEN POUTING THIS ENTIRE QUARTER," Bayless wrote.
LeBron James was phenomenal for the LA Lakers in the first half, finishing with 19 points, including a long 3-point shot to end the second quarter. James was more quiet in the second half when the Denver Nuggets made their run and dominated the Lakers.
"King James" finished with 27 points, six rebounds and eight assists, while Anthony Davis had 32 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and four blocks. D'Angelo Russell, who James tried to get going in the fourth quarter, was abysmal from the field.
Russell put up 13 points on 20 shots, going 1-for-9 from beyond the arc. Austin Reaves was also quiet for the Lakers, with Taurean Prince the only player to score off the bench.
Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic was phenomenal with 32 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Jamal Murray added 22 points, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Aaron Gordon scored 12 points each. Michael Porter Jr. had a solid game with 19 points on 8-for-15 shooting.
Skip Bayless uploads video calling out LeBron James after loss to Nuggets
Calling out LeBron James on X was not enough for Skip Bayless after the LA Lakers' loss to the Denver Nuggets. Bayless added salt to the wound by uploading a video of himself being more critical of the four-time MVP and four-time NBA champion.
"LeBron James can be such a diva. I just watched him play the last nine minutes at Denver and take two shots once the game was completely over because he wanted to make a point.
"He pouted those last nine minutes because he was so stung by the criticism all that justified for his fourth quarter flameouts last year in the Conference Finals against Denver. He stood around on offense watching and kicking the ball to the coldest hand in the floor, D'Angelo Russell," Bayless said.
Bayless questioned fans who thought James was the greatest of all time with a fourth quarter performance like that. He added that Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan would have not done something like that, calling it an "embarrassment."