Whether one loves or hates Patrick Beverley, one has to respect his competitive spirit.
He was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers late last summer for Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson. After a poor start, he was starting to contribute to the team, at least to a certain extent.
Right before the trade deadline, however, he was sent to the Orlando Magic for backup center Mo Bamba in a trade that most would agree helped L.A.
Beverley was subsequently released, and he signed with the Chicago Bulls. When asked how it would feel to face the Lakers, he responded by saying he wanted to “knock them out of the playoffs.”
His Bulls will face the Lakers on Sunday, March 26 at Crypto.com Arena and then three days later in Chicago, which also happens to be the hometown of Anthony Davis.
Davis didn’t seem to have any problem with what Beverley said.
Anthony Davis on Pat Bev saying he wants to end the Lakers' playoff hopes: "That's fine. He can come try. A lot of people have tried. We'll see Sunday & Wednesday."
AD says he expects nothing less from Pat Bev and doesn't look "too deep" into his comments. "It's funny to me." https://t.co/zoT5W9RSyS
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) March 25, 2023
The Lakers have won three games in a row after a big victory on Friday over the Oklahoma City Thunder, 116-111, which puts them in eighth place in the Western Conference with a 37-37 record and a full game ahead of the 11th-place Dallas Mavericks.
The Bulls, meanwhile, are in 10th place in the Eastern Conference at 35-38, and while they’ve been playing better of late, they’re 9-9 in their last 18 games, while L.A. is 12-6 during that same span.
Beverley and his crew will try to put a huge dent in the Lakers’ playoff hopes, but with the way Davis and company have been playing, it will not be easy.
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