Los Angeles Lakers guard Patrick Beverley has been suspended 3 games without pay for forcefully shoving Phoenix Suns' big man Deandre Ayton, per NBA Communications on Twitter. The incident occurred after Ayton stood over Austin Reaves and was seemingly taunting him. Beverley took exception to Ayton's actions and body-checked him.
Patrick Beverley was ultimately assessed with a technical foul and ejected from the game. Both the Lakers and Suns reacted to the Beverley-Ayton incident.
It drew a positive reaction from teammate Russell Westbrook.
“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.”
Anthony Davis explained how the Lakers have each other's backs.
“We got each other’s back,” Davis said. “Pat is known for that: having his teammate’s back. … We’re never going to let anyone stand over our team — make them feel like they’re not a man … That’s disrespectful.”
However, Devin Booker called out Patrick Beverley after the altercation with Ayton.
“Pat needs to stop pushing people in the back, man,” Booker said. “Push ’em in the chest. That’s all I got to say.”
It was not surprising to see Booker take Ayton's side.
In the end, Patrick Beverley was hit with a 3-game suspension. But the Lakers needed a spark and Beverley certainly provided it. Los Angeles is just 5-11 as of this story's publication, but it will be interesting to see how they fare moving forward. LA will look to get back on track against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday.
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