After the Nuggets loss, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers picked up a crucial win against the top-seed Oklahoma City Thunder 116-104 at home. At the start of the game, the Lakers were down 8-20 but then they put together a 102-65 run over the next three quarters. This pushed the score to 111-88 in the Lakers’ favor and a fierce Thunder rally was too late. Slip Bayless was impressed by this lengthy run and saw a squad in the LA side that was a legit title contender.
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On his show Undisputed, Bayless declared that this win showed a glimpse that the Lakers could be the “best team in the NBA” despite being the ninth seed. He also proclaimed that this is why he chose them as his favorites before the start of the season.
“They went on a 102 to 65 run against the best team record-wise in the Western Conference. That team [Lakers] I saw the last night for that stretch, the best team in the National Basketball Association(NBA),” said Skip Bayless.
Bayless then presented that 102-65 run as evidence as to why the expectations were so high for the Lakers before the 2023-24 season. The FS1 host believes that this win was even more special considering the Thunder’s incredible record in back-to-back games this season, where they have a +18-point differential.
The Undisputed host also added that the Lakers have won three straight Regular Season contests against the Thunder. He also reminded fans about how the Lakers also beat the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers just a few nights ago behind a LeBron James miracle performance. Therefore, Bayless believes that the Lakers’ performances against the top seeds speak volumes about their tag as a title contender.
The Los Angeles Lakers are still in tricky waters
While Bayless’ praise is justified in the wake of the Lakeshow winning against both the Clippers and the Thunder, they are once again performing inconsistently. After a 6-1 stretch, they lost half of their next six games. Currently, they have a respectable 34-29 record but are teetering at the ninth position in the West. The upcoming five-game stretch is incredibly challenging with the Kings playing them twice. Apart from that, they have to tackle the elite Bucks and the Timberwolves alongside the Warriors.
This five-game window will tell NBA fans a lot about the Lakers team which has shown glimpses of greatness. They still have a big chance of nabbing the sixth spot because the field from the fifth seed onwards is still wide open. If the Lakers register multiple viable two-way performances again, they can be on course for a lengthy postseason run.
