The Los Angeles Lakers were hoping to beat the Portland Trail Blazers tonight and take a step ahead of them in the standings. They looked on their way to doing that after a strong first quarter but an incident between Damian Lillard and Patrick Beverley changed the flow of the game wholly in the favor of one team.
Beverley and Lillard got into an argument after the Blazers took a 2-point lead which led to PatBev getting a technical foul. Damian Lillard was wary of the notorious pest and looked at him while calmly telling him that he would kick his a**. The Blazers would go on a 30-8 run after this moment and outscore the lakers by 32 points in the second quarter.
"I'll beat your ass."
Damian Lillard to Patrick Beverley 👀pic.twitter.com/UsqO8HPx6b
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 23, 2023
Beverley has hurt the lakers way more than he has helped them this season. Ideally, LA moves him at the trade deadline, though Darvin Ham’s coy statement on the trade market has worried fans that the Lakers might go another season without any winter moves en route to missing the playoffs.
Does Patrick Beverley Need To Go?
PatBev does bring an energy to the bench that could be necessary, especially given the Lakers have shown a distinct fighting spirit in all games this season. However, Beverley is simply not good enough. His defensive impact has been decidedly average and his offensive flaws have caused the Lakers to lose out on games repeatedly, including the time they blew a massive lead against the Boston Celtics.
This technical foul caused a shift in momentum that was extremely hurtful to the Lakers’ chances in this game. His $15 million has to be moved for a better player but the Lakers’ unwillingness to give up draft assets means he is likely not going to be moved.
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