Getty Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Patrick Beverley has had lots to say about the Los Angeles Lakers since he was traded away but Anthony Davis doesn’t seem too concerned.
One of the first things Beverley said after leaving town was that he wanted to be the one to knock the Lakers out of the playoffs. That time has come, with the Lakers gearing up for back-to-back games against Beverley and his Chicago Bulls.
“That’s fine. He can come try,” Davis said. “A lot of people have tried. We’ll see Sunday. Sunday and Wednesday. Got one here and got one there.”
Beverley clearly heard the words from Davis at took to Twitter with another shot at the Lakers with a tweet calling LA soft.
Patrick Beverley is ready for Lakers-Bulls tomorrow 👀
The Lakers have reeled off three wins in a row, doing so without the services of LeBron James. The Lakers are currently the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference but are just a game clear of being on the outside looking in on the playoffs. However, they’re also just two games back of the No. 4 seed in the packed West, so the mini-series against the Bulls has a lot of implications.
Chicago is currently the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference and it doesn’t look likely that they’ll escape the play-in game. The Wizards and Pacers are playing chase a few games back.
Davis on Beverley: ‘Pat is Pat’
Anthony Davis on Patrick Beverley’s recent comments and facing Pat on Sunday:
While Davis welcomed the challenge from Beverley, he didn’t seem overly offended by his recent slander. He knows that’s just what Beverley does and has been known for during his decade-plus in the league.
“It was great. Pat is Pat. If you don’t know Pat, then you don’t know Pat. I expect nothing less from anything that Pat Bev says,” Davis said. “I’ve known him outside of basketball. Obviously, we’re both from the same city, but that’s what he wants. He has no filter. He’s going to say how he feels. We don’t look too deep into it. But I love seeing this. You know, it’s funny to me. Like I said, I know him though. So it’s Pat being Pat.”
Davis was a monster last time out and might have something special for Beverley and the Bulls. In a 116-111 win, Davis posted 37 points on 15-of-21 shooting with 15 rebounds.
Beverley Didn’t Feel Heard During Time in LA
The Lakers traded for Beverley in the offseason to be a veteran presence but it’s clear there was some tension in the locker room. Beverley has said that he actually asked for a trade and recently said that he didn’t feel heard during his time in purple and gold.
“Yeah we should do this on defense… ‘nah we cool, we cool… nah we gotta rotate’… Bron what you mean we gotta rotate, you ain’t even playing,” Beverley said. “They don’t listen to me. … You gotta go through the first-year coach, the LeBron, the AD, the Russ, then it get to me. You don’t hear my s**t the way you should hear my s**t.”
Beverley is averaging 28.4 minutes with the Bulls, starting all 14 games he’s appeared in. He’s averaging 5.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.