Welcome to LA, baby! The Los Angeles Lakers came into their game against the Milwaukee Bucks with terrible odds. With LeBron James sitting out, the team was seen as a massive underdog. Even without the megastar, though, LA managed to make Milwaukee's life a living hell. In the end, a clutch stop by Spencer Dinwiddie ended the game in favor of the Lakers.

Many praised the Lakers' efforts during their upset win over the Bucks. D'Angelo Russell, in particular, got most of the praise after pacing LA with 44 (!) points on ridiculous efficiency. However, Skip Bayless managed to turn this big win into an apparent shot at LeBron James, all while giving Russell his props.

“I am not remotely suggesting the Lakers are better without LeBron. But they play more freely, with more spirit, more fire without him — probably because they all believe they have to do more and there's no deferring to LeBron. DiLo had a rare green light tonight.”

That's certainly… a take. LeBron's playstyle naturally forces the teams he plays on to adjust to his game. That can be perceived as restricting by some analysts, but it's proven to be an effective style. You don't reach ten finals and win four titles if that style does not work. Without LeBron, the Lakers relied more on their other shot creators, and it paid off heavily.

The Lakers maintain their hold on the ninth spot in the Western Conference, and are just a few games away from avoiding the Play-In Tournament. Wins like this will help them gain more confidence as they head into the final stretch of the regular season. Can Los Angeles find that final gear to get them to the playoffs?