Clippers point guard Patrick Beverley has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for verbally abusing a referee in Saturday's Game 2 loss to the Denver Nuggets, the league announced Monday.
The Clippers defeated the Nuggets handily in Game 1, 120-97. Game 2 was a different story, though, as Denver did not trail throughout the entire matchup, winning by a score of 110-101.
Beverley received a pair of technical fouls late in Game 2. The first came in objection to a called foul. The seconds came just moments later. By rule, a player with two techs in the same game is automatically ejected, and that's exactly what happened:
Patrick Beverley logged 15 minutes in Game 2, notching two points, three rebounds and one assist. Paul George led the Clippers with 22 points and eight rebounds. Kawhi Leonard had an off night, adding just 13 points and 10 boards. Notably, Leonard had scored at least 20 points in 27 of his last 28 playoff games. It was his lowest-scoring playoff performance since he had 13 for San Antonio on April 19, 2016.
Leonard knows the Clippers need to come out better in Game 3 and not suffer another letdown:
“We dug ourselves in a 20-point hole early,” Leonard said, via ESPN. “We can't do that … but give the Nuggets credit. They came in very aggressive tonight on both ends, they played well and they won the game.”
Game 3 between the Clippers and Nuggets is set to tip at 9:00 p.m. ET on Monday night. TNT will have live broadcast coverage. According to ESPN, Denver big man Nikola Jokic is questionable due to a sprained right wrist. The Clippers are hoping to get more out of Patrick Beverley in a bounce-back effort.
Follow Us
Subscribe