It appears Patrick Beverley knew he was going to be suspended by the NBA for his shove on Deandre Ayton Tuesday. The Los Angeles Lakers guard was reprimanded Thursday afternoon but just minutes before the news broke, Pat Bev jumped on Twitter and said this:

“Hear they trying to give me the book 🤦🏾‍♂️”

In fairness, Beverley deserved the three-game suspension. He was basically standing up for Anthony Davis and blindsided Ayton. But, it drew rave reviews from his teammates, including AD and Russell Westbrook, with the latter applauding Beverley:

“I love it, personally,” Westbrook said, per Jovan Buha. “Protecting and understanding that we have each other’s back is the most important part of a team.”

The Lakers are just 5-11 and need a spark. Perhaps Patrick Beverley was simply trying to fire his team up. Regardless, he'll now miss a few games. It hasn't been a great first season for Beverley in the purple and gold so far, averaging just 4.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists while shooting 23% from downtown. Not ideal by any means.

Los Angeles is downright struggling but on a more positive note, LeBron James returns to the lineup on Friday against the San Antonio Spurs, which should certainly provide a boost to the squad. He's been out with a groin injury.

Patrick Beverley will be permitted to return on Wednesday, November 30th against the Portland Trail Blazers at home. Until then, the Lakeshow will need to get by without him against the Spurs in a back-to-back and then the Pacers.