It’s a rare sight when Luka Dončić, the Slovenian sensation who has rejuvenated the Los Angeles Lakers and put them back in the race for their 18th NBA title, fails to steer his team to victory. The basketball community has grown so accustomed to Dončić exploding on the court that it’s a hard pill to swallow when his side ends up losing the game while Luka is piling up points.
But on Saturday night, he ran into a familiar nightmare—Jaylen Brown. The Boston Celtics star, who tormented Dončić in the 2024 NBA Finals en route to winning Finals MVP, once again made life miserable for him in a 111-101 Celtics win. Skip Bayless, the former Fox Sports host, didn’t hold back in his postgame breakdown on X, pointing out how Brown completely outmatched Dončić on both ends of the floor.
Skip Bayless Calls Out Dončić in Postgame Breakdown
It was a bad day for the Lakers as their eight-game winning streak came to an end with the Celtic’s win. Making matters worse, LeBron James picked up a groin injury during the game—a significant setback for the team. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that while the 40-year-old could recover within 1-2 weeks, the Lakers will now have to navigate upcoming games without their leader.
Nobody in the NBA gives Luka more trouble than Jaylen Brown pic.twitter.com/SGC3BR41sN
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) March 9, 2025
However, the Celtics’ defensive strategy against Dončić seemed to be the ultimate factor in their victory. And Skip Bayless didn’t hold back when breaking down Dončić’s rough night, pointing out how Brown continues to give him trouble.
Bayless explained, “Nobody in the National Basketball Association gives Luka Dončić more trouble than Jaylen Brown does. You saw it in the Finals last year. Nobody torments Luka, bullies Luka, [and] makes him more hapless and overmatched than Jaylen Brown. Tonight, Jaylen Brown got a little help here and there from Al Horford, who plays Luka with his brains more than his body in his 18th year in the league.”
“But Jaylen Brown did it both ways tonight—on defense and then on offense. Because when Luka locked in a three to cut it to four with 4:36 left in the game, guess who came right back at the other end and said, S**** on this, Luka?”
He continued, “Jaylen Brown ripped it clean, and it was not lucky from three. That made it a seven-point game that slowly but surely, down the stretch, expanded to 11. Jaylen Brown makes the biggest shots. I say it again and again: the most valuable Celtic is Jaylen Brown, not Jayson Tatum.”
Bayless Calls Luka a ‘Crybaby’
The matchup between the Lakers and Celtics felt like a potential NBA Finals preview. Both teams came in holding the No. 2 seed in their respective conferences, and the intensity on the court matched the stakes.
Jayson Tatum put on a dominant performance, scoring 40 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to lead the Celtics to victory. Brown followed up with 31 points, but it was his defensive effort against Dončić that stole the spotlight. Bayless went on to shower Brown with praise, calling him a valuable player who deserves more appreciation:
“The star of the night, the difference maker of the night for the Boston Celtics, was Jaylen Brown—still underpaid, still undervalued, still underpublicized, still underappreciated. Now back to Luka, now we got two big injury questions to deal with.”
But while Bayless hyped up Brown’s performance, he had little sympathy for Dončić.
“Luka’s flopping all over the floor. Luka’s complaining after every ball that is stolen from him. And he flat-out got bullied because the referees let Boston play. The referees weren’t buying any of Luka’s baloney. This was a game for grown men, and the referees let them play like grown men. Luka is still such a crybaby.”
Bayless Dismisses Dončić’s Back Pain Excuse
During the game, Dončić appeared to be dealing with back pain, but Bayless wasn’t buying it.
“I don’t know. He looked fine when he had the ball in his hand and was doing Luka things. He was never that explosive, so I’m not gonna give him a pass or a break because he is having back trouble. I have no earthly idea about that. It just looks like he got bullied—mostly by Jaylen Brown.”
Dončić still had an impressive stat line, finishing with 34 points and eight rebounds. LeBron added 22 points and 14 rebounds before his injury. However, Bayless pointed out Dončić’s five turnovers, which he felt were a major factor in the Lakers’ struggles.
“He had five turnovers, he wound up shooting 11-for-22, 5-of-10 from three with the one locked in. Not bad, but the five turnovers—it just felt like they fell into such a hole against Boston because Luka couldn’t get the ball up the court, or Luka couldn’t get the ball through the lane to the rack until late. He did a lot of his damage late when the game was teetering on being out of hand.”
Now, the Lakers are without the formidable Luka-LeBron duo that has turned the tables for the LA team. It will be interesting to see how Luka impacts the court and find his sync with other team members in LeBron’s absence.