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“Almost Had Him”: LeBron James’ Mockery of Giannis Antetokounmpo From the Sidelines Continued to Social Media

Published 03/27/2024, 12:41 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a miraculous road win against the Milwaukee Bucks tonight. After trailing by 16 points in the first half, a LeBron James-less Lakers made an incredible comeback and beat the Bucks 128-124 in double overtime. While LeBron was not part of the game due to his lingering ankle injury, he ensured to contribute from the sidelines in whichever way he could. King James hilariously counted down Giannis Antetokounmpo’s free throw attempt during the closing seconds of double overtime.

LeBron James’ antics surprisingly worked as Giannis missed the clutch free throw that could have cut down the Lakers’ lead to 2 points. LeBron celebrated from the sidelines with the rest of the Lakers squad as ‘The Greek Freak’ missed the shot. After the game, Bleacher Report shared the video sequence on their Instagram page. They captioned it, “LeBron made sure Giannis got the FTs off in time 🤣” The 4-time Champion continued to mock Giannis on social media with a hilarious comment on the post, “And he did get it off on time! Almost had him there, though.”

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While Giannis managed to get his free throw off on time, LeBron’s sideline antics might have played a role in him missing the shot. Giannis’ lengthy free-throw routine has gotten him in trouble multiple times throughout his career. There have been several instances when the Bucks star takes more than the permitted 10 seconds to get his shot off. He was even penalized for violating the 10-second rule twice during the 2021 playoffs against Brooklyn and Miami.

Giannis’ weakness has garnered so much attention that fans count down his free throws to get him off his game whenever he plays away from home.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. crumble under LeBron James and Co’s pressure

The Milwaukee Bucks should never have been in a situation where it came down to Giannis’ free throws late in the second overtime. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. lost control of the game in the second half even though the Lakers were playing without LeBron. Anthony Davis was also struggling from the field early in the game. However, the Bucks gave LA an opening to make a comeback, and they successfully did.

Anthony Davis redeemed his poor first-half performance, finishing with 34 points, 23 rebounds, and two assists. AD also played a game-high 52 minutes to lead the Lakers to victory. D’Angelo Russell continued his dominant form and scored 29 points. And Austin Reaves emerged as the dark horse as he posted a triple-double with 29 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists. The Lakers proved tonight that they can compete against the best teams in the league, even without LeBron.

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The Lakers hope to continue their form in the next game while Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. look to bounce back from tonight’s heartbreaking loss.

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Written by:

Rohan Bhaunt

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Rohan Singh Bhaunt, an NBA Writer at EssentiallySports, boasts a background as a divisional basketball player and an NBA enthusiast spanning over a decade. His extensive knowledge of the sport enables him to intricately explore its nuances, presenting a fresh outlook. Rohan's dive into the NBA newsdesk at ES commenced with witnessing LeBron James secure his inaugural championship in Miami.
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Edited by:

Jacob Gijy