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Skip Bayless implied that LeBron James padded his stats vs Pelicans

Skip Bayless implied that LeBron James padded his stats vs Pelicans

USA Today06-04-2025

Skip Bayless implied that LeBron James padded his stats vs Pelicans
Sports commentator Skip Bayless has made a living for years by taking shots at LeBron James. It seems as if no matter what James accomplishes, Bayless finds a way to downplay it in order to generate clicks and views for himself.
On Friday, James' Los Angeles Lakers powered past a very depleted New Orleans Pelicans team by a final score of 124-108, allowing them to hold on to third place in the Western Conference. James scored 27 points on 9-of-17 shooting and dished off eight assists, and 14 of his points came in the fourth quarter as the Lakers solidified their grip on the game.
Bayless seemed to allege that James was out to pad his scoring stats in this contest.
Los Angeles was playing the second game of a back-to-back set, so James could've simply sat out, and the team still would've likely found a way to win. But if he had done so, Bayless may have criticized him for doing that.
The Lakers, who have a 47-30 record, have a tough final five games of the regular season. They will hit the road to face the 64-13 Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday and Tuesday before playing the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. They will then host the second-place Houston Rockets on Friday before closing out their schedule versus the Portland Trail Blazers in Oregon next Sunday.

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