Damian Lillard is not a fan of Patrick Beverley’s tactics on defense
Patrick Beverley of the Houston Rockets is one of those players you love if he’s on your favorite team and probably aren’t too fond of if he isn’t.
Beverley is a tough, gritty, ultra-competitive player who has had a tendency to get under the skin of opponents on occasion. He plays a high-pressure style of defense and can be a pest for the player he’s guarding. It’s not necessarily the prettiest thing to watch, but it’s effective and makes the Rockets a better team.
During Sunday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Patrick Beverley and Damian Lillard were separated after exchanging words. Then, in overtime Lillard was whistled for this sixth foul, a charge against Beverley, that resulted in the All-Star guard watching the rest of the contest from the bench.
After the game, Lillard commented on his matchup with Beverley.
“It’s irritating,” Lillard told CSNNW.com. “But I was locked into the game to be one hundred percent honest with you. It’s irritating that he’s doing all that little stuff like flopping, tying you up and all that for the whole game. But I don’t really get caught up in that. It’s whatever.”
“If he thinks I’m flopping, that’s on him, not me,” Beverley told CSNNW.com. “We won. That’s all I care about.”
The way Patrick Beverley plays doesn’t lend itself to many favorable comments from players on the other team. Damian Lillard isn’t the first and won’t be the last person to take offense with something Beverley does or says on the court. But like Beverley said, he’s just here to win games and the Rockets are 31-13 this season when he starts.
