Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley have been at odds with each other for most of their careers. The two share a long history with each other dating back to the 2014 playoffs when Beverley injured Russell Westbrook, thus costing the Oklahoma City Thunder a chance to return to the NBA Finals.
Last night, their rivalry witnessed another chapter, one that became historic due to the outcome. The Lakers played against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Timberwolves handily defeated the Los Angeles Lakers. But individually, Patrick Beverley finally got the better of Russell Westbrook.
Patrick Beverley scored 18 points against the Los Angeles Lakers. Whereas Westbrook scored just 15 points. This marked the first time since they began playing against each other that Beverley has outscored Russell Westbrook in a game. Westbrook has outscored Beverley for almost their entire rivalry, 29 times out of the 30 times they have played against each other.
During the game, Russell Westbrook stood idly by as Patrick Beverley hustled for the Timberwolves, securing the offensive rebound and scoring, all while Westbrook refused to try and play any defense on him. It was not a good look for Westbrook, who looked like he didn’t care about winning at all.
Russell Westbrook was mocked by Beverley during the game. After the game, Westbrook responded saying he didn’t care about trash talk, which prompted a response from Beverley, who mocked Russ for being a selfish player who cared about his own stats rather than his team winning.
Westbrook and Beverley’s beef is far from over. The two have been at odds with each other for about 8 years now. And despite both players playing in multiple teams across the league since their rivalry began, they are still at odds with each other, and will probably continue to do so until either of them retires.
