NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins called out the Los Angeles Lakers for their Game 3 loss to the Denver Nuggets. According to the former NBA player, the Lakers disrespected the Nuggets by playing “cute.”

Perkins vented out his thoughts on Twitter. He particularly pointed out the first half where he believed the Lakers didn't play as hard as they should have.

Though the Lakers were down by just 10 points at the end of the first half, the Nuggets led by as much as 20 points in the first two-quarters of action.

Right from the get-go, the Nuggets came off strong. Jamal Murray was his usual self, chipping in 28 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds. He also hit several daggers in the fourth quarter amid a Lakers run. Jerami Grant put up a surprise performance with 26 points, while Nikola Jokic added 22 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists.

A look at the stat sheet reveals that the Nuggets were desperate for the win. As a team, the Mike Malone-coached squad had 44 rebounds as opposed to just 25 by the Lakers. The Nuggets also shot 37.9 percent from the 3-point line as opposed to just 23.1 percent by the Purple and Gold.

Though Anthony Davis had 27 points, he only had two rebounds — way below his 9.3 rebound average. He was simply outmatched by the physicality of the Nuggets' big men.

The series is now at 2-1 in favor of the Lakers. This should serve as an eye-opener for the Purple and Gold. Though they are the better team on paper, the Nuggets squad is not a joke. As Perkins said, they shouldn't play cute around this young and upcoming team.