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‘Just pass it to whoever Luka Doncic was guarding’: Skip Bayless ridicules LeBron James for not exploiting Mavs star’s abysmal defence

Samir Mehdi
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‘Just pass it to whoever Luka Doncic was guarding’: Skip Bayless ridicules LeBron James for not exploiting Mavs star’s abysmal defence

Skip Bayless is acting confused since LeBron James did not score 20 points in the first half despite only Luka Doncic guarding him.

The headliner for Christmas Day this year is the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks bout as it pits Luka Doncic against reigning Finals MVP, LeBron James.

The marquee matchup between LeBron and the projected 2021 NBA MVP Luka Doncic is a game within a game. Each time James plays Luka, the narrative him “passing the torch down” to Luka comes up.

Throughout the first half of the game, LeBron was Luka’s primary defensive assignment. He defended LeBron well as James put up an average 14 points to finish out the half.

Also Read: ‘Giannis Antetokounmpo gets a bad rep in clutch despite LeBron James shooting worse’: Stat highlighting how Greek Freak is better than Lakers star late in games surfaces

According to Skip Bayless, this wasn’t enough on the 4x MVP’s part.

Skip Bayless goes off on LeBron James for not scoring enough in the first half

Leave it to Skip Bayless to find some fault in James’s game when it is apparent that that “fault” isn’t all too significant.

Following the first half of the Lakers vs. Mavs game, with the Lakers up 69-57, Bayless took to Twitter to say, “Surprised LeBron didn’t go for 20 in the first half as Luka was guarding him.”

This was also a subtle jab at Luka’s defense as Skip implied that whoever Luka is guarding should essentially go off.

LeBron did have a clean turnaround fadeaway in Luka’s face with less than a minute to go in the 2nd quarter.

Should James have scored more in the first half?

It has become a pattern for LeBron to facilitate more in the first half, than to take over the game and score 20-25 points in that time period.

Also Read: ‘LeBron James and Luka Doncic are not comparable’: Mavericks owner Mark Cuban explains why his franchise player is different from Lakers star

Going into his 18th season, preserving his body and energy for the second half of games becomes more important than showcasing his offensive prowess. It is very well known by now that James has the ability to take over games on the offensive end of the floor at will.

Facilitating and getting his teammates open looks to get them going offensively early on is a better use of James’s skillset in the first half.

About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi

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Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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