The Los Angeles Lakers were not just dismantled by the Minnesota Timberwolves. They were disrespected.

The Lakers — who tipped-off as eight-point underdogs vs. the Wolves, despite the presence of LeBron James — ended up losing 124-104.  It was the third time this season Los Angeles has fallen to Minnesota by double-digits. It was the Lakers' 11th straight road loss. They are 0-9 since the All-Star break when LeBron doesn't score at least 50.

Los Angeles has barely competed the last three games, during each of which they've trailed by 20+ points. LeBron, Russell Westbrook, and Frank Vogel insisted postgame that their groups' effort was adequate. It was not. The body language — and interest in running back, then playing, defense — remains atrocious.

The Lakers like to remind us how every opponent is extra-motivated to bring their best against them. That isn't necessarily untrue, but it's not a viable excuse for a team that planned on challenging for a title. On the flip side, rival squads clearly relish the opportunity to contribute to the Lakers' ongoing demise. Certainly, the Timberwolves rejoiced in their turn to deliver the beatdown. Here are a few examples of the lack of respect shown for the reeling Lakers from the folks at the Target Center.

1) The crowd brought the heat early

At Crypto.com Arena, Lakers fans vocally plead Russ not to shoot. By contrast, the Wolves crowd tried goading Russ into shooting within seconds of the opening tip.

Westbrook shot 5-of-12 from the field and 1-of-4 from downtown. Minnesota never considered guarding him up-close. He finished 15 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 turnovers in 36 minutes. His defensive commitment was largely non-existent.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4qJr8PRfMQkIddNt04tjzE?si=d681573f439a4bab

2) PatBev calls Westbrook “trash”

Beverley and Westbrook have a well-documented history. There is no reality in which the Wolves roast the Lakers and Beverley doesn't let everybody hear about it.

During a particularly one-sided sequence in the second quarter, Beverley out-hustled a sedated Russ and lazy Carmelo Anthony for an offensive rebound and put-back lay-in. On the next possession, PatBev — sagging about eight feet off Russ — creates a steal from a wayward entry pass from Westbrook, leading to two free throws for Minnesota. Beverley then not-so-kindly went Stephen A. Smith on the Lakers sideline, calling their highest-paid player “trash.”

“I honestly don’t pay no mind to it. Maybe other guys (do),” Westbrook insisted afterward. “But the trash-talking doesn’t bother me none. Nobody over there has done anything in this league. It’s fine. They’re good. They won a game, happy for them, Move on to the next one. That’s that.”

3) This. Seconds later.

4) Beverley, Karl-Anthony Towns mock Russ' airball

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As the Wolves pulled away in the fourth quarter, Westbrook came up empty on a corner three (not the Lakers' only air-balls of the evening, in a 10-for-45 night from distance). Towns — who deemed Westbrook a stat-chaser — hammed up the moment.

Westbrook's miss sapped up whatever drops of juice were left in the Lakers' fake-comeback bid — the latest of many.

There's no reason to respect the Lakers perimeter shooting. Los Angeles missed their first 10 triples on Wednesday after missing 16 in a row to begin Sunday's loss to the Toronto Raptors. Overall, the Lakers shot 42 percent from the field, 22 percent from three, and, once again, under 70 percent from the charity stripe.

“Just gotta make shots,” LeBron said. “It’s not rocket science: You gotta make shots.”

The Lakers sacrificed perimeter defense for shooting last summer. They aren't getting much of either.

Outside of Westbrook's aforementioned clap-back, the Lakers declined to elaborate on the T-Wolves' shenanigans. Vogel quickly batted down a reporter's question with a “no comment.” LeBron chalked up the chatter as “part of the game.”

The point of all of this isn't to rag on Westbrook or poke fun at the Lakers. The sheer fact that a LeBron-led team with multiple future Hall of Famers is being so utterly tossed aside and toyed with — and not just in Minnesota — is indicative of their standing around the league. Obviously, teams don't fear the Lakers. At this point, they don't seem to respect them, either.

For now, the Lakers are smart to bite their tongues for the second straight postgame session. In their current state, they have no justifiable rebuttal, other than citing their resumes. And, considering they might meet the Wolves in the second Play-In Game, they may soon get an optimal chance to respond — if they haven't thrown in the towel by then.