LOS ANGELES – Led by tenacious guard Patrick Beverley, the L.A. Clippers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers on opening night. The game was one of most anticipated regular season games in recent memory, incomparable to any other regular season game. Instead, it felt a lot more like a Game 7 of a playoff series, with fans from both teams showing up and making themselves heard.

Beverley fed off that atmosphere all night long, helping his team to a 112-102 victory. His final statline was indicative of the all-around activity you can expect from Pat, as he finished with two points, 10 rebounds, six assists, an a blocked shot in 31 minutes of action. He shot just 1-of-7 from the field, including 0-of-5 from beyond the arc, but those numbers will trend up for the career 38 percent three-point shooter.

The build-up to the big night had reporters and media from all over the world attending, not willing to miss out on the event. That meant a lot of people got to interact with players postgame, including Beverley.

Beverley shot down any talk of this being a statement game, instead saying the Clippers are focused on themselves and getting better day-by-day. It's certainly the best course of action for this team that's still learning to play with one another.

However, one Australian reporter asked Beverley a question that he almost immediately shot down.

“Aussies love you, you scrap like Matthew Dellavedova —” said the reporter before being cut of by Beverley.

“Nah, nah. I scrap like Patrick Beverley.”

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For media that have covered Beverley for the last few years, this is the type of responses they're used to. Beverley doesn't get baited into answering questions that'll give writers their headlines and television networks their talking points. The 8-year NBA veteran is strictly business, challenging them to ask intriguing questions that'll yield in-depth answers.

This Australian reporter probably knows that now.

Beverley and the Clippers will now travel to San Francisco to take on the Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.