Tyrese Haliburton had his way with the Los Angeles Lakers for three quarters, and it seemed like the Indiana Pacers were going to cruise to an easy home win. That was until Patrick Beverley — who customarily found a reason to have a chip on his shoulder — and the Lakers collectively refocused and shut down Haliburton and the Pacers in the fourth quarter.
Patrick Beverley picks Tyrese Haliburon's pocket, but it was called a foul.
After review, Pat Bev's steal was CLEAN and Lakers retained possession 😤pic.twitter.com/cQ4cJWXrSV
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 3, 2023
The Lakers outscored the Pacers 28-15 in the final frame at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday night to pull out a 112-111 win. In doing so, they somewhat avenged a regrettable loss at Crypto.com Arena in November, when rookie Andrew Nembhard shocked the Lakers at the buzzer.
After the win on Thursday, Beverley made sure everybody knew that even this random game in January, was, in fact, personal. The 12-year veteran apparently never forgot an instance in which he was challenged by rookie-year Haliburton. He requested to guard Haliburton, which was granted by Darvin Ham.
“He mentioned my name,” Beverley said postgame. “And, for a first-year guy to mention my name — especially all the work I've done in this league defensively — I felt good. I don't wanna say disrespectful, but I remembered his words. So, I took it kind of personal and I wanted that assignment tonight. And coach gave it to me.”
It's worth noting: Haliburton — a first-time All-Star — cooked the Lakers for most of the game and finished with 26 points and 12 assists. Yet, he was blocked by non-All-Star Anthony Davis on a go-ahead layup attempt with 16 seconds to go (Haliburton thought he was fouled.)
Anthony Davis with the CLUTCH bucket and block 😱
Lakers up 112-111 with 8 seconds left in the 4th quarter.pic.twitter.com/NmI1Vot3JN
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 3, 2023
Beverley had only seven points in 28 minutes, but he far and away led the Lakers with a plus-16, posted two blocks and three steals, and helped trap Buddy Hield on his potential buzzer-beater. (He did miss two free throws in the final seconds that gave Hield a chance to win the game.)
“I thought he was excellent tonight on both sides of the floor,” LeBron about Pat Bev. “I mean, he had a plus-16. He was very positive throughout the whole night and Haliburton is an All-Star for a reason. He’s been playing, beginning this year, at an extremely high level. And Pat’s just trying to make it tough on him.”
Beverley's defense is always stout, he's a legitimately influential culture-setter (he deserves some degree of credit for how hard the Lakers compete in every game) and he has made 39% of his 3s since Dec. 1. He's clearly a valued member of the Lakers — and an increasingly valuable piece on the trading block as the deadline approaches.
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