Los Angeles Lakers veteran guard Rajon Rondo accepted their Game 3 loss to the Denver Nuggets, noting how tough the competition is in the NBA.

Per Ryan Ward, Rondo felt that the Purple and Gold “deserved” the loss. The series is now at 2-1.

Though initially a close game in the first few minutes, the Nuggets eventually broke away from the Lakers in the second quarter. They led by as much as 20 points, though the Lakers cut it to just 10 by halftime.

The Lakers entered the fourth quarter down by 16 points, 93-77. This was when Rajon Rondo put his foot on the gas pedal, particularly on the defensive end. Thanks to Rondo's consecutive steals, the Lakers were able to cut the lead to just three points around the midway mark of the fourth and final quarter.

However, the Nuggets were just too locked in. Losing Game 3 would put them in a 3-0 rut. Though they're known as the comeback kids of the 2020 playoffs, the Lakers are a different animal. They can't afford to be down by that much.

As Rondo said, the Lakers deserved that loss. The lack of in the first half was already telling. And the statistics speak for themselves, too. The Nuggets had 44 rebounds as opposed to just 25 by the Lakers. Note that this is a Lakers squad headlined by big men Dwight Howard and Anthony Davis. Howard just had one rebound in 14 minutes of action while Davis had two rebounds in 43 minutes of action.

Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals will be on Thursday. Will the Purple and Gold bounce back after an awful loss? Or will the surging Nuggets squad tie the series up?