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Tensions ran high as the final minutes of Sunday’s game between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers unfolded Sunday at Staples Center. Both teams have NBA title aspirations, creating a fiery atmosphere from the start.
The chippiness didn’t reach its peak, though, until there was about three minutes left to play.
Patrick Beverley Sends Jeff Green to the Ground With Hard Foul
The Nets held a six-point lead with 2:50 left, but the Clippers had possession. That changed when Patrick Beverley was called for an offensive foul after an illegal screen in which he blindsided Jeff Green. Green laid on the court for several minutes following the hard foul.
The Clippers challenged the call, but after a review, it was upheld and remained an offensive foul.
Green, a 13-year NBA veteran who has been impactful in about 26 minutes per game for the Nets this season, then began to walk off the court. But before he got to the tunnel, he kicked a cart holding Gatorade coolers, knocking it to the ground in frustration.
DeAndre Jordan subbed in for Green from there and wound up making some big plays down the stretch in Brooklyn’s 112-108 win.
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Beverley Not Done
To make matters worse, Beverley wasn’t done after fouling Green hard.
The ESPN broadcast caught the 32-year-old appearing to mock Green’s injury before the ball was inbounded for the next play.
None of it did well to improve Beverley’s image in the eyes of fans and viewers, who reacted strongly on Twitter.
Beverley also was in the middle of an altercation earlier in the game, when James Harden shoved him following a hard foul.
Update on Green’s Status
Following the game, the Nets announced Green has a right shoulder contusion and will be evaluated Monday, per Alex Schiffer of The Athletic. All things considered, it could have been worse.
That’s part of why the reaction to Beverley’s foul was so strong. Per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News, Nets owner Joe Tsai reenacted the offensive foul shortly after it happened. “The league office will hear from the Nets tonight,” Winfield tweeted.
The Nets Have a New Option if Green Must Miss Any Time
Nic Claxton, the 6-foot-11 center whom the Nets selected with the first pick of the second round in the 2019 draft, was available to play in a game for the first time this season on Sunday. Claxton underwent arthroscopic labrum repair surgery on his left shoulder in June and hasn’t played in a game since February of last year.
Before the game, Nash said it would take “a unique circumstance” for Claxton to play against the Clippers, per Schiffer. In the end, Claxton didn’t. Still, he’s now an option off the bench for the Nets that they could lean on a bit more should Green be forced to miss any time.
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