Tag: Patrick Beverley

NBA fans recalled Damian Lillard’s awkward beef with Patrick Beverley now that they’re Bucks teammates

The NBA is the best soap opera.

The Milwaukee Bucks needed to make a deal at the NBA trade deadline to improve their atrocious defense. Anyone who could improve their point-of-attack defense and take some heat off Damian Lillard defensively would’ve been welcome. They settled on Patrick Beverley, a notorious agitator known for his defensive prowess, and he will now likely start next to Lillard.

There’s just one problem for Lillard and Beverley as they try to pursue a Bucks title: They seemingly don’t like each other. Or at least, they haven’t always liked each other.

The most famous recent instance of this duo’s beef might be when they got chippy during a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers in January 2023. After going at it with Lillard all night, Beverley corrected a reporter for not properly crediting his defense on the star guard during his postgame press conference.

Lillard caught wind of the comments and responded with some heated words for the defender on Twitter:

Oof. Yeah, that’s a lot to unpack for two guys that will have to work in concert now. For what it’s worth, according to a statement released through Chris Haynes, Lillard is ready to set aside his beef with Beverley for the greater good.

We’ll see how this duo gels in time for the Bucks’ stretch run. They’re both talented professionals in pursuit of grander goals together, so it’s not unbelievable to think they’d be good teammates. But it’s still impossible to ignore how they’ve butted heads in the past.

Patrick Beverley is exactly what the Bucks needed to fix some of their awful defensive woes

Milwaukee could have desperately used PatBev on defense this season.

The Milwaukee Bucks have taken a massive step back on defense this season but made a move to fix that by trading for Patrick Beverley.

Milwaukee’s defensive identity changed considerably after trading away Jrue Holiday to land Damian Lillard. That hurt their chances to contend for a title, though adding Beverley at the NBA trade deadline could turn that around.

Beverley isn’t the player that he once was back when he earned NBA All-Defensive honors and would occasionally receive votes for Defensive Player of the Year.

He has shown significant offensive regression and is shooting a career-worst on 3-pointers. While he isn’t as appealing as someone like Kris Dunn, who was reportedly an option, Beverley didn’t come at a very high cost for the Bucks.

Fortunately for Milwaukee, though, his impact as a defender is still very real and the metrics prove as much. His defensive estimated plus-minus (d-EPM) ranks in the 83rd percentile, per dunksandthrees.com.

Beverley still regularly guards the best players on the other team with a high degree of success. He has significant playoff experience and isn’t scared of a big moment.

Milwaukee needed someone like Beverley for the postseason and he can add legitimate value as a presence on the defensive end of the floor.

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NBA Twitter reacts to Bucks trading for Patrick Beverley: ‘Dame and Pat Bev…’

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Bucks landing Patrick Beverley in a trade.

The Milwaukee Bucks have traded Cameron Payne and a second-round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers for Patrick Beverley, per multiple reports.

Pat Bev even broke his own news on Twitter.

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the latest trade in the league.

Sixers send Patrick Beverley to Bucks for Cam Payne, 2nd-round pick

The Philadelphia 76ers sent Patrick Beverley to the Milwaukee Bucks for Cam Payne and a 2027 second-round pick.

The Philadelphia 76ers are not done dealing. After acquiring Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers and sending Danuel House Jr. to the Detroit Pistons, the Sixers have made a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Sixers sent veteran Patrick Beverley to the Bucks for Cam Payne and a 2027 second-round pick. Beverley was signed as a free agent in the offseason and averaged 6.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists for the Sixers off the bench. Payne is averaging 6.2 points and shooting 39.7% from deep for the Bucks.

Beverley did many good things for the Sixers, but he reunites with Doc Rivers, who was his coach with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Payne will take over the backup ballhandler’s role for Philadelphia. He’s reliable, and he can knock down an open look from deep. This is another solid move by the Sixers.

Sixers happy with effort vs. Nuggets, but know they have to be better

The Philadelphia 76ers are proud of their effort against the Denver Nuggets, but they know they have to be better.

The Philadelphia 76ers almost pulled off a huge upset on Saturday when they went into Ball Arena to face the defending champion Denver Nuggets. The Sixers were missing Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, De’Anthony Melton, Robert Covington and Mo Bamba, but they held a lead in the fourth quarter before letting it slip away.

Paul Reed delivered a career-high 30 points and 13 rebounds while Patrick Beverley had 17 points and 11 assists. Kelly Oubre Jr. also added 25 points while Marcus Morris Sr. had 17.

Overall, it was a terrific effort and it showed the fight the Sixers have developed under the guidance of coach Nick Nurse.

“Listen, we’re gonna go out there and try to do the best we can and execute the game plan and fight as hard as we can, right?” Nurse told reporters after the loss. “And you’re searching for things that you haven’t had to search for all year because so many guys are in so many different positions, right? Like, Paul Reed ends up being much more of offensive — Marcus Morris does. Pat Bev does. Kelly Oubre — everybody’s all of a sudden we got to search for what they can find in the game.”

It would have helped the Sixers if they had a better start. The Nuggets led by 10 in the opening quarter thanks to the strength of Jamal Murray, and Denver eventually wore them down in the fourth quarter to win it.

“Not good enough, got to be better, got to be better and we will,” Beverley added. “We have to find ways to win games without guys playing. We got enough talent around the room to get the job done, and we came up short and they shot 38 free throws.”

Again, the Sixers have to be proud of their effort on Saturday. Any other team would have wilted and taken a blowout loss, but the Sixers fought. That was a terrific showing by Nurse’s Sixers.

“I’m glad that we responded to an awful start, right?” Nurse added. “You just didn’t want to not and — then once we did that, we started going in some confidence. I always say that chemistry will build as the game goes on in these types of games. These guys get used to who’s out there and who’s playing and you just fight as hard as you can.”

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Nuggets’ Jamal Murray responded to Patrick Beverley after beating Sixers

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray responded to Patrick Beverley’s comments after a win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

The matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Denver Nuggets on Saturday was originally supposed to feature Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey vs. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.

With Maxey scratched heading into the matchup and Embiid being scratched shortly before tipoff, the focus shifted to Murray vs. Patrick Beverley.

After the Sixers defeated the Nuggets at home on Jan. 16, Beverley had a comment about how he has been locking up Murray for years. He doubled down on his comments on “The Pat Bev Pod” saying he has been locking Murray up since the bubble in 2020.

After scoring 23 points and knocking down six triples in a 111-105 win over the Sixers, Murray responded to Beverley’s comments and kept it simple:

You can say whatever you want, brother, I’ve got film of it.

Below are the comments Beverley made on Jan. 16 regarding his defensive effort against Murray down the stretch in the win.

Beverley is an elite competitor. The guy gives it his all every time he steps on the floor and these comments show it. He isn’t the most talented player, but he always finds a way to help teams win and make big plays. He was terrific in the loss on Saturday, scoring 17 points with 11 assists as he helped keep the score close for Philadelphia.

Murray and the Nuggets simply gained the better of him on Saturday.

“I mean, he is the second-best player on the team,” Beverley told reporters of Murray after the loss. “I expect him to come out there and play hard.”

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Nick Nurse gives updates on De’Anthony Melton, other injured Sixers

Coach Nick Nurse gives an update on De’Anthony Melton and the other injured Philadelphia 76ers.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers continue to grow under coach Nick Nurse and learn the way he wants them to play. To do that, they need everybody to be on the floor and be healthy.

As the Sixers get set for the San Antonio Spurs on Monday at home, they will be missing:

  • De’Anthony Melton due to lumbar spine stress response
  • Patrick Beverley due to an illness
  • Mo Bamba due to right knee inflammation
  • Robert Covington due to left knee inflammation
  • Jaden Springer due to right ankle tendinitis
  • Marcus Morris Sr. due to left foot plantar fasciitis

Before the matchup with the Spurs, Nurse updated the conditions of Melton and the other injured Sixers.

“OK, so let’s go through them all really quick,” Nurse stated. “Pat Bev is still sick so we’re hoping he’ll get better and be back shortly. Marcus we’re hoping as well this is a one-game thing with him. Cov is out for a good chunk yet I think, but we’re hoping to get a bigger update on that. Melt is the one that’s probably a little closer. We should get a good eval on our next practice whenever that is Tuesday or Wednesday. Jaden is also kind of day-to-day and I think Mo is day-to-day as well.”

Covington has not played since Dec. 30 as he recovers from the knee issue. One has to wonder when he will be able to return. The Sixers have a five-game road trip following this home contest.

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Kelly Oubre Jr., Sixers ready to step up in place of De’Anthony Melton

Kelly Oubre Jr. and the Philadelphia 76ers are ready to step up in place of the injured De’Anthony Melton.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers are once again looking to rely on others to step up in place of an injured starter.

De’Anthony Melton, who missed three games with lumbar spine soreness,  returned to the floor for two games before the injury acted up again. He has missed the team’s last two games and will miss Philadelphia’s upcoming road matchups with the Orlando Magic and the Charlotte Hornets.

Coach Nick Nurse said the Sixers will rely on their depth to replace Melton just as they have all season. That means Kelly Oubre Jr. must step up and produce just as he has.

“Honestly, we just gotta continue to stay together,” Oubre said of his role without Melton. “Uplift him in his time of healing and pretty much just keep on doing what we’ve been doing. We work on every day. We all get each other better so we kinda know the tendencies of each other so just going in there and try to fill that role.”

Along with Oubre, the Sixers can turn to Patrick Beverley and Nic Batum to step in and help get the stops necessary without Melton on the floor.

“We’re deep,” Beverley added of missing Melton. “I don’t think we’re missing anything. Obviously, a guy like that you want to have. A shot maker this, his ability to block shots in transition. So obviously you miss that, but we’re a deep team and we come in waves and we’ve been doing it the last couple games.”

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Patrick Beverley’s seemingly outrageous claim about locking down Jamal Murray actually has merit

Patrick Beverley’s wild trash talk about Jamal Murray is actually kind of correct.

For a January regular-season game, Tuesday night’s battle between the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers more than lived up to the hype. But while the two focal points — Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid — shared a mutual moment of respect with each other after the 76ers prevailed, Patrick Beverley just couldn’t resist being Patrick Beverley.

When asked about his catalyzing defense on Murray in the fourth quarter, Beverley wasted no time taking a shot at one of his rivals. After holding Murray to zero points in the final stanza while forcing two turnovers, a brash Beverley suggested this kind of lockdown performance had always been the case when the two guards squared off against one another.

Beverley will probably never shy away from a trash-talking quote, but he’s not entirely wrong about his individual defensive success with Murray.

Per StatHead, at face value, Beverley holds a clear edge over his career while squaring up against Murray. The advanced numbers bear out a similar conclusion. According to Senior NBA writer Bryan Kalbrosky, Beverley has defended Murray on 292 possessions, which is the sixth-most in the entire league. He’s forced 11 turnovers off Murray (fifth-most). While Murray is 20-of-40 on shooting attempts in these situations against Beverley, he’s scoring just 19.2 points per 100 possessions. That is significantly lower than his career average of 27.6.

The inclination to defend Murray against Beverley’s claim will come from the Nuggets’ famous bubble playoff series with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2020. Murray was arguably the best player in that instant classic seven-game battle. He averaged over 22 points, just about six assists, and over four rebounds per game. Perhaps more impressively, he shot over 43 percent (on just under seven attempts per game!) from behind the three-point line. When push came to shove, Murray dropped a ruthlessly efficient 40-burger in the series-clinching Game 7. In fact, it is probably that very series against the Clippers that cemented Jamal “Playoff Murray” as one of the NBA’s greatest modern postseason performers.

Not to burst anyone’s bubble (get it?), but Murray wasn’t cooking Beverley in that Denver comeback. No, no. Murray actually found his groove against Los Angeles whenever he had Paul George (24.9 points per 100) or Kawhi Leonard (28.9) defending him. Considering George and Leonard’s reputations as shutdown defensive savants, that’s arguably a more impressive notch in Murray’s belt. Even still, he didn’t do the same to Beverley, which adds credence to the 76ers role player’s trash talk. This isn’t to say Beverley didn’t have a significant role in that Clippers’ collapse. But at the very least, the numbers say it wasn’t because Murray ran circles around him.

The Nuggets and 76ers will rematch in a nationally televised matinee game in Denver in 10 days. Considering that Murray will almost certainly see this Beverley quote and use it as bulletin board material for some redemption, expect more fireworks from these fiery competitors. If the NBA world gets really lucky, we could even see these two duke it out in this year’s NBA Finals.

What a treat that would be.

Patrick Beverley had a message for coach Nick Nurse to help Sixers

Patrick Beverley sent a text message to Nick Nurse to help the Philadelphia 76ers succeed on the floor.

PHILADELPHIA — Veteran Philadelphia 76ers guard Patrick Beverley was made for the City of Brotherly Love. His toughness, attitude and edge are tailor-made for the city, and he has quickly become a beloved figure in Philadelphia.

Beverley greatly affected Tuesday’s 126-121 home win over the Denver Nuggets. He hopped off the bench and poured in eight points, knocking down two 3s, and had two assists while playing the entire fourth quarter. His contribution gave the Sixers a big boost.

Overall, Beverley played 26:35 off the bench which is well above his season average of 18.3 minutes per game. He played the entire fourth quarter and the final 17 minutes of the game. He did so thanks to a message he sent to coach Nick Nurse.

“I texted coach,” Beverley said after the win. “I had to tell Nurse this Lamborghini is ready for any type of minutes a game so I texted him a couple of weeks ago and told him because I felt like we were in some games. I think I was like at the 12-minute, 13-minute mark. I told him I can do more. Allow me to do more, and he‘s gonna let me rock out a little bit so I’m fortunate.”

Nurse has a lot of trust in Beverley and what he brings to the table. He isn’t the team’s best player; that honor obviously goes to Joel Embiid, but Beverley can make a big impact on the floor as he has shown plenty of times thus far.

The defense he played against Nuggets star Jamal Murray in the fourth was a big key in helping the Sixers get the job done.

“Any game we play off a back-to-back is always a tough game,” Beverley added. “We got a lot of guys out so the guys that played tonight (Tuesday), I think we went like nine deep really eight deep, six or seven deep, heavy minutes. We came out, we played the right way. We scored the ball at a high rate tonight. We got stops when we needed to get stops in the fourth quarter. I think that was the key to the game.”

Beverley will play a key role in whatever the Sixers want to do as they move forward with their title quest.

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