The Los Angeles Lakers suffered their third consecutive defeat on Sunday, falling to the Denver Nuggets, 128-104.

Following another disappointing loss, Lakers superstar big man Anthony Davis opened up about his frustrations with his team's recent slump. The defense has been an issue:

“With or without [James], we sucked defensively,” Davis said, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “We lost our defensive edge. We're not guarding no more. We're not rebounding. Getting back cut. Our attention to detail on the defensive end and awareness has slipped the last couple games, and we're not aggressive on that end anymore.”

For his part, Davis was on point for the Lakers, who were missing the services of three-time NBA champ LeBron James due to injury. AD logged 32 points (13-of-23 from the field, 5-of-6 from the line), 11 rebounds, an assist, and four blocks in 34 minutes of action.

Article Continues Below
More Los Angeles Lakers News
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James warms up before the start of a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center.
Lakers’ LeBron James doesn’t hold back on clout-chasing trainersRichard Pereira ·
Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) and guard Mario Chalmers (15) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.
Mario Chalmers’ wild LeBron James club story stuns Shannon SharpeLorenzo J Reyna ·
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates with Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center.
Lakers’ LeBron James exquisitely breaks down what makes Luka Doncic specialZachary Weinberger ·
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates with Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center.
Lakers’ Luka Doncic makes mind-blowing admission about LeBron JamesTroy Finnegan ·
Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) defends on the court in the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena.
Lakers rumors: Rival exec makes ‘no doubt’ Bronny James predictionJackson Stone ·
NBA former player Robert Horry shoots during the 2013 NBA All-Star shooting stars competition at the Toyota Center.
Kobe Bryant-Shaq Lakers championship teammate makes Hall of Fame pitchJackson Stone ·

Nevertheless, Davis' heroics on the evening fell short, with the Nuggets proving too strong for a shorthanded Lakers side. Davis was understandably upset about the defensive shortcomings following the defeat:

“That goes back to, even, back to the road trip,” Davis added. “We were winning games, but we had a lot of slippage on the defensive end. We got to be able to correct that.”

Things are only going to get tougher for the Lakers from this point, with Davis and company set to face off against their crosstown rival, the Los Angeles Clippers, on Christmas Day. That should be one awesome matchup between two of the best teams in the league today.