When the Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis plays poorly, like he did on Tuesday against the Denver Nuggets, the reigning NBA champion, he can be a lightning rod for criticism. In the game, he had a strong first half but was basically invisible in the second half as the team lost 119-107 without him scoring any points.

It led to the customary disapproval of Davis, with analysts stating that he wasn’t deserving of the team’s top оffensive option position.

But, as he often does, he came back strong in his following game and silenced his detractors. He had 30 points on 10-of-17 field-goal shooting and 9-of-10 free-throw shooting on Thursday, as well as 12 rebounds, three blocked shots, and three steals. The Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns 100-95, thanks in large part to Davis’ dominance.

On Friday’s broadcast of “First Take,” former big man and current ESPN commentator Kendrick Perkins backed Davis, stating the Lakers have no issues with him. In fact, Perkins stated that he has a problem with anyone who disagrees with Davis (h/t The Cold Wire).

Davis had a pedestrian (by his standards) 11 points in the first half on Thursday, but he explоded for 13 points in the fourth quarter as Los Angeles rallied from a 12-point deficit to win the game. The club made a huge difference by getting him the ball in the low post and in the paint more often, rather than merely giving him the ball on the win or the perimeter in iso scenarios and allowing the Suns to load up on him defensively.