“A team plenty talented enough to win the West” – Skip Bayless is impressed with how the Lakers handled the Raptors in Toronto

Skip Bayless is known for his controversial takes, but on Wednesday morning he was all praise for the Los Angeles Lakers, after they overcame a tough challenge from the Toronto Raptors. The Lakers went on to win 128-123, with Anthony Davis shining and leading the way for Los Angeles, who continued their current three-game winning streak.

Speaking on his popular sports show ‘Undisputed,’ alongside Shannon Sharpe, Bayless commended the Lakers, and especially their stars, for playing their part in the important victory, and taking it to the defending NBA champions in their own backyard.

“Look, the Raptors have won their last three games, this was a real test for the Lakers. This was going to tell me if they could handle it,” he said.

The Lakers have struggled at times this season, finding it hard to string together wins and suffering key losses when their key players have not been performing.

“They did handle it! And LeBron’s not even LeBron!” Bayless exclaimed. “I mean, Anthony Davis went 22 and 23. LeBron looked exhausted at times… And yet he’s still putting up 23! That’s amazing.”

Bayless pointed out that both LeBron James and Anthony Davis seemed to have been carrying some sort of lingering injuries in their respective games on Wednesday. “AD, when he was doing his jumping thing in that huddle there, you could see he was still nursing that tailbone injury, but that didn’t stop him. He was just fantastic in that game.”

“LeBron also was getting up there looking a bit battered and bruised, so he wasn’t moving as fast as usual. I love it though! When LeBron and Davis are showing those signs of fatigue, yet still dominating the game, just imagine what they’ll be like when they are 100%! That is scary stuff! That’s a team plenty talented enough to win the West! They have the right mix of experience and firepower. They are looking like the team that they should be this season.”

“If you can’t beat the Raptors at home, it’s telling about how well they are performing, and right now the Lakers are the team that can do that.” Bayless continued.

“It’s tough being a contender. Everyone brings their ‘A’ game when you walk into the arena, that’s what happens when you wear a gold jersey! There are lots of teams trying to prove themselves and wanting to bring you down. But so far the Lakers are proving they are too good to be stopped right now.” he said confidently, “and I like the fact that, even when they aren’t playing at their peak, they are still finding ways to win, and that’s the kind of grit you want in a team that wants to make it all the way to the end.” Bayless finished off his impressive summary.

The Lakers are certainly a team that has plenty of fire power to worry opponents. They are already starting to dominate games with LeBron James having a bounce-back season after his injury woes in recent years. And the addition of the likes of Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo, Carmelo Anthony and Kent Bazemore has shown that this Los Angeles Lakers side is not messing about.

What do you think about Skip Bayless’ comments and analysis of the Lakers? Did they impress you with the way they defeated the Raptors in their backyard, or was it all hype for a big game, and the Lakers won’t live up to the hype this season? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.