Skip Bayless rips Luka Doncic for 4th quarter fiasco against LA Lakers: “Baby Bird has scored zero”
LeBron James and Luka Doncic went to war once again on Thursday night after a thrilling showdown last month. The game saw the Mavericks jump out to an early lead before the Lakers then put on an impressive comeback attempt. With big plays down the stretch by Wenyan Gabriel and Russell Westbrook, the Lakers were able to force overtime.
During the fourth quarter, the Lakers' defense made some key defensive stops, shutting down Luka Doncic and holding him scoreless down the stretch. After an incredibly close overtime period that saw both teams end the period 108-108, they went to a second overtime where the Mavericks pulled ahead to win the game.
After the second straight loss for the Lakers, Skip Bayless had some choice words for Luka Doncic, who struggled in the 4th quarter. The way he sees things, the young superstar and his team were just begging the Lakers to complete the comeback and avenge their previous loss.
"As great a two clutch shots that Luka made, he was pathetic throughout the fourth quarter. He played all but nine seconds in the fourth quarter so look at the fourth quarter box- what did he do? Nothing! He hadn't scored a single point he was zonked across the board all the way down to the final six seconds."
"Luka Doncic, Baby Bird, had scored zero in the fourth quarter. He had only been a factor because he was turning the ball over because he turned it over in two big possessions it looked like a disaster for Dallas because you could just see Jason Kidd just sort of throwing his hand up like 'what are we doing?'"
You can see Bayless' comments in the video above beginning around the 3-minute 30-second mark.
LeBron James and the Lakers loss to Luka Doncic and the Mavericks
The loss was a big one for the Lakers, who need every win they can get if they have any hope of making the playoffs. The Dallas Mavericks are sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference, with the Lakers now tied for 12th with the OKC Thunder.
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After the game, Darvin Ham spoke about the controversial no-call on Troy Brown Jr that occurred at the end of the game. While he said that he's "not in the business of criticizing", he felt the foul on Brown's follow-through was "clear as day".
For his part, LeBron James interrupted Troy Brown's postgame interview to answer a question for the young forward, saying "that's a f**king foul".
With Anthony Davis currently ramping up rehab to make a return to the lineup, it looks like the team will get a much-needed boost. As the trade deadline looms overhead, the team will need to either figure things out or shake things up if they have any hope of turning this season around.
Do you think they'll be able to make something happen? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below!
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