Fox Sports 1 personality Skip Bayless has a reputation as a harsh critic of LeBron James, but after the Los Angeles Lakers lost, 112-108, on Sunday to the New York Knicks, he had a different target for his disdain.
After a string of dominant games, Anthony Davis has played beneath his offensive standards the last two games. He scored eight points in L.A.’s win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday, and although he was better versus the Knicks he still didn’t do enough.
He shot 8-of-18 and missed four of his five free throws, which was a significant factor in his team’s defeat and caused Bayless to blame him for the Lakers’ inability to get the job done.
Terrible home loss for the Lakers. AD failed to foul early in final Knicks possession. AD failed to get to the line much (only 5 free throws) and made only ONE FREE THROW. AD failed to take this game over the way he should have – former Laker Josh Hart ended it w 2 FTs. Ug.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) March 13, 2023
It may not be fair to place all of the blame on Davis, however. The Knicks fronted him, swarmed him with defenders and didn’t allow him to become entrenched in the paint like he normally does.
After the game, Davis took responsibility for the loss, and he even said his teammates did what they needed to do to help L.A.’s cause.