LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers had an unfortunate 116-104 defeat against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. The loss turned the series into a 2-1 first-round series disadvantage against the Anthony Edwards-led Wolves. After the contest, longtime NBA analyst and media personality Skip Bayless called James out on his latest X (formerly Twitter) post.
James tried his best, but it wasn’t enough. The four-time champion had 38 points and 10 rebounds on a very efficient 61.9 percent shooting on the floor. Defensively, he was one of the more present players for the Lakers with his two steals and two blocks.
The 21-time All-Star was only one of three players who scored in double digits. The other two were Austin Reaves (20) and Luka Doncic (17).
While the loss was tough on James and his crew, Bayless added insult to injury with his recent post on X. The former Fox Sports host questioned why L.A. couldn’t stay with Minnesota and win the game, singling out the four-time Finals MVP.
“CAN’T MAN CAN!!! I’m about to unleash a video on this Lakers’ collapse. Had ’em. Disappeared. Bron???” James said.
CAN'T MAN CAN!!! I'm about to unleash a video on this Lakers' collapse. Had 'em. Disappeared. Bron???
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 26, 2025
Bayless has often called out James in certain situations. However, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar has not given the 73-year-old attention.
One glaring issue the Lakers faced on Friday was the inconsistent play from Doncic. The Slovenian sensation shot 37.5 percent from the field. It was reported by Dan Woike of the L.A. Times during the middle of the game that the five-time All-Star was dealing with an illness. Woike explained that the 6-foot-6 guard dealt with stomach issues, but remained in the game.
The Lakers look to bounce back and tie the series at 2-2 on Sunday for Game 4 at Target Center.
James cited the Los Angeles Lakers’ turnovers as the reason for their loss
James and the Los Angeles Lakers couldn’t protect the ball against the defense of the Timberwolves. Their turnovers piled up to 16, which the league’s all-time leading scorer cited as one of the main reasons for their defeat. Minnesota, on the other hand, only turned the ball over eight times.
The Wolves also had more attempts from the field. Edwards and his team had 91 shots, while the Lakers were limited to 78. Speaking to reporters, James explained how there shouldn’t be any room for error for the Lakers moving forward.
“I mean, first of all, in the postseason, there is no room for error,” James noted. “In the regular season, you’re able to make up for certain things throughout the course of the year where you can have a little bit of room for error, you know?”
LeBron (38 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists) discusses Luka not being 100%, the turnovers, the difficulty of playing against Anthony Edwards, how to get Jaxson Hayes more involved, and the contributions from Vando and Jordan Goodwin. pic.twitter.com/rNRtd7LVne
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) April 26, 2025
James was responsible for one turnover for the Lakers, while his co-star had the most for the team with five.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
