“DLo had rare green light…” Skip Bayless takes sly jibe at LeBron James as Lakers triumph over Bucks with superstar’s absence

The Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, following their loss against the Kings. Surprisingly, the Lakers took the game in the absence of LeBron James, 123-122.

The game went down to the wire, with D’Angelo Russell leading the way with 44 points and nine assists. Anthony Davis, on the other hand, had 22 for the night with 13 assists. 

Following the victory over the top team in the East, Skip Bayless went on to praise the Lakers’ performance, playing without James. LeBron missed the game due to an ankle injury, as he did hint at what he was going through following Los Angeles’ matchup with the Kings. 

I am not remotely suggesting the Lakers are better without LeBron. But they play more freely, with more spirit, more fire without him… probably because they all believe they have to do more and there’s no deferring to LeBron. DiLo had a rare green light tonight.
Skip wrote on X

I am not remotely suggesting the Lakers are better without LeBron. But they play more freely, with more spirit, more fire without him — probably because they all believe they have to do more and there’s no deferring to LeBron. DiLo had a rare green light tonight.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) March 9, 2024

What Skip tried explaining here was how guys like D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, and others play with more load when James is not on the court. While James does provide leadership and initiate the offense for the team, it’s not true that the team is 100% better without him. 

James is averaging 25.3 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds per game. The King is contributing the most on both ends of the floor, but still, the Lakers managed to win more games when James wasn’t available.

The Lakers are stable without LeBron James

This season, James has missed nine regular-season games. The Lakers are 5-4 without James on the floor, but the margin of victory and loss seems to be equal in all those games. 

D-Lo, Reaves, and Rui Hachimura are the key players, apart from Anthony Davis and LeBron. 

Lakers head coach Darwin Ham talks about LeBron James departure (Image via CNN)

With a record of 35–30, the Lakers are improving their record and slowly moving up in the West, recently passing the Warriors in the standings. If the Lakers can maintain such a pace without LeBron on the floor, they can manage to win more games. 

James will make his return soon, as teams get down to their last 20 games of the season. James and company have some of the top teams to go against in their remaining schedule. It will be interesting to see how things play out for them as they try to make it to the 7th or 8th seed.