Kendrick Perkins tears into 'horrible' LeBron James for poor body language in annihilating loss

LeBron James and the LA Lakers fell to their third consecutive loss, and their first defeat in the NBA Cup, yielding to the Phoenix Suns 127-100 on Tuesday night. The loss jeopardizes their chances of reaching the finals of the in-season tournament in Las Vegas, where they were the champions last year.

James finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists, while Anthony Davis led the scoring with 25 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. However, the Lakers were outscored 36-18 in the third quarter, allowing the Suns to open up enough separation to snag the win.

Considering the Lakers’ woeful performance, NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins, a former teammate of James in his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, lamented LeBron James’ efforts in the loss on Wednesday:

"Bron was horrible tonight defensively and his body language was unacceptable."

James struggled to find his mark, shooting 7-of-16, including 2-of-7 from the three-point line. He also did not record a steal or a block in the loss and committed five turnovers, which the Suns pounced on to ward off the Lakers in Phoenix.

On the other hand, the Suns’ win featured the return of their two former All-Stars, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, after both were out nursing calf strains. Durant and Beal scored 23 points each, while Devin Booker led the Suns in scoring with 26 points to lift Phoenix to a 10-7 record, tying with the Lakers’ win-loss slate.

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LeBron James on his NBA retirement

LeBron James has been averaging 23.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 9.2 assists per game this season, making himself one of the best players in the league despite being 39 years old. However, he said that his time in the league is slowly waning down.

After his team's win over the Memphis Grizzlies two weeks ago, James talked to reporters:

"I'm not going to play that much longer, to be completely honest. I don't know how many years that is. If it's one year or two years, whatever the case may be. I said the other night, I'm not playing until the wheels fall off. I'm not going to be that guy. I'm not going to be the guy who is disrespecting the game because I just wanted to be out on the floor."

LeBron James signed a two-year, $101 million contract with the Lakers in July, which will allow him to play until he is 41. He has already tied the record for most seasons played in the NBA and could eclipse it if he exhausts his contract.