It didn't take long for James Harden and Patrick Beverley to go at it during Sunday's marquee matchup between the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers. Early in the game, Harden had some choice words for Beverley after what looked like an overly-physical foul from the always feisty L.A. guard.

Here's a look at what turned out to be a shoving match between the two players (h/t ClutchPoints on Twitter):

Beverley has been known to get on the nerve of opposing players and he did not need much time to do it against the usually cool-headed Harden. Beverley clearly grabbed Harden's arm during (and after) they play, to which the Nets star took exception.

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This is how Beverley typically operates, so it would be in Harden's best interest to not let the former throw him off his game. It didn't look like Beverley did, though, with the former league MVP still eclipsing the double-digit mark in scoring after just one period of play.

Brooklyn, who is still without Kevin Durant, comes into this matchup on a five-game winning streak, including an impressive 109-98 victory against the defending champs, the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. The Nets have already defeated the Clippers once this month (February 2, 124-120) so they will look to make another statement with another win here.