Patrick Beverley missed almost all of the Los Angeles Clippers' first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks due to a calf injury, but after a few weeks on the sideline, he was healthy and ready to go for their second-round matchup with the Denver Nuggets. And it didn't take long for him to show he's truly back.
Early on Monday afternoon, the league announced that Beverley has been fined $25,000 for "verbal abuse of a game official." The incident happened late in Game 2 on Saturday night.
With a little over a minute left, and the Clippers on their way to a 110-101 loss that would even the series at 1-1, Beverley was called for a foul on Jamal Murray. He immediately made his way toward a referee to complain, and was hit with a technical foul for his efforts. He still had some things on his mind, however, and was quickly given a second technical and ejected from the game.
Patrick Beverley gets 2 quick technical fouls and the ejection for complaining to the refs after being called for a foul on Jamal Murray.#Nuggets - #Clippers pic.twitter.com/DutJIb3KtZ
— Joel Rush (@JoelRushNBA) September 6, 2020
As his coaches and teammates tried to usher him off the floor and toward the locker room, he was still looking back and jawing with the refs. Beverley finished the game with just two points and three rebounds.
Never one to hide his emotions, Beverley is one of the feistiest players in the league, and the emotional leader of this Clippers team. Most of the time it's a good thing, and the Clippers feed off the energy he brings, especially on the defensive end. But as this incident showed, he can sometimes let those feelings get the best of him.
