Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks made moves at this year's NBA trade deadline as they looked to better prepare this roster for a deep postseason run. This past weekend, one of those new additions in Patrick Beverley returned to face his former teams in Los Angeles, where the Bucks took on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers as well as James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Beverley was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to Milwaukee in an NBA trade deadline day deal that also sent Cameron Payne to Boston. Since his arrival, Beverley has appeared in 13 games for the Bucks, averaging 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 18 minutes per contest.
The Bucks defeated the Clippers on Sunday, 124-117, as Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both sat out the back end of a back-to-back. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with a dominant 34 points, seven rebounds, and 10 assists, while running mate Damian Lillard finished with 35 points, seven rebounds, and 11 assists.
Beverley scored just five points and grabbed four rebounds, but his impact was felt in the form of his ball pressure and crowd-teasing antics. He played with an increased level of physicality that earned him five fouls, making life difficult for Clippers guards all day long.
Following the win, Giannis Antetokounmpo spoke about what it's like playing with Beverley as opposed to playing against him.
“He's one of those guys that — sorry for my language — that you say, ‘he's an a-hole,'” Antetokounmpo laughed as he told ClutchPoints. “But when he plays on your team, like, ‘that's my a-hole.' You know? And I love him. We love playing with him. He's a leader, he knows how to play the game. He's a winner.”
Patrick Beverley brings unique brand of basketball to Bucks
Beverley has played for seven NBA franchises across 12 seasons throughout his NBA career, including a five-year stint with the Houston Rockets and a four-year run with the Clippers. Each of those teams and fan bases developed a strong relationship with the team's emotional leader.
Getting into an opponent's head as the crowd goes wild or picking up an untimely technical foul was all part of the Pat Bev experience, and it won't change anytime soon.
“I've been playing against him for a lot of years now. I don't think I ever liked playing against him,” Giannis Antetokounmpo tells ClutchPoints. “He always comes in, mucks the game. He's like an instigator, he pushes the buttons, but like having him on your own team, he makes the game easier for us. You know he's gonna make that extra effort. That extra play, he's gonna dive on the floor, he's gonna set a screen for you, he's gonna get the extra rebound, you know he's gonna make the right pass. I love playing with him.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo on Patrick Beverley:
“He's one of those guys that — Sorry for my language — that you say, 'he's an A-hole.' But when he plays on your team, like, 'that's my a-hole.' You know? And I love him. We love playing with him. He's a leader, he knows how to play the… pic.twitter.com/xvshYvWGzo
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) March 10, 2024
The Bucks earned win No. 42 this season, now sitting in command of the second seed in the Eastern Conference. The Clippers, meanwhile, dropped to 41-22 on the season and still have the most games remaining of any team in the NBA.
This weekend wraps the first two games of what will be a five-in-seven stretch for the Clippers. The resting of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard on the second day of a back-to-back set was the first game the duo both missed all season.
With 19 games still on deck and an opponent winning percentage of .510 (10th-toughest schedule in the NBA), the Clippers would be smart to balance out their star players' usage.
Milwaukee, meanwhile, has to deal with the fourth-toughest schedule in the NBA as they continue to try and find their rhythm together with Damian Lillard leading the offense under new head coach Doc Rivers.
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