Luka Doncic has already proved during his short time in the league that he is not one to back down from anyone. Luka enjoys feeding off the energy of defenders and talking trash to them while he dominates the game. Perhaps no player knows this better than Patrick Beverley, who Doncic consistently torched during the two series the Mavericks played against the Clippers.
Beverley is an absolute pest on the defensive end of the floor, someone that does his best to get under the skin of opposing stars and throw them off their game. Monday night was no different as Beverley once again took on the formidable challenge of Luka Doncic with his new team, the Minnesota Timberwolves. Beverley had some joy against Luka too, stealing the ball from him and burying a three-pointer at one point in the 4th quarter.
Beverley was goading Doncic all game, using the same tricks that he has tried with stars like LeBron James in recent weeks. The Timberwolves, who have been hot, kept the game close till the very end and Doncic and PatBev enjoyed many moments of banter, but eventually, it was Luka who had the last laugh as his team ran out victorious by a 2-point margin.
The night didn’t go entirely Luka’s way, he had an uncharacteristically bad game, managing just 15 points and turning the ball over 8 times, a few of those very much thanks to Patrick Beverely’s relentless pressure. But the feeling of waving goodbye at the end of a win to someone like Beverley must be great, considering the rivalry that exists already between the two players.
The way the Timberwolves are playing, a series between these two teams in the playoffs cannot be written off just yet and the constant bickering between Doncic and PatBev would make it an incredibly fun series to watch. The stars on both teams failed to deliver on Monday night but will have a chance to change that later this week itself.
