The Los Angeles Lakers came crashing back down to Earth as they got blown out by the Philadelphia 76ers, snapping their three-game road winning streak.
The Lakers actually got off to a good start in the first quarter, but things quickly devolved as the 76ers simply couldn’t miss from beyond the arc. Los Angeles managed to put together a run late in the third quarter, but Philadelphia responded with another barrage of 3-pointers to put the game away for good.
Both teams seemed to be more motivated than usual given some considered it a measuring stick game, and that showed in the physical play on the floor. Anthony Davis and Joel Embiid went right at each other from the jump, though the guards also got in on the action.
With the Lakers trailing by 21 points in the third, Austin Reaves got doubled in the corner by Robert Covington and Patrick Beverley. Reaves didn’t look pleased with the ball pressure and took exception after he was hit out of bounds.
Shortly after the play, Reaves walked right up to Beverley and got in his face, via Bleacher Report:
Austin Reaves and Pat Bev getting chippy ? pic.twitter.com/rlEOySC48Z
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 28, 2023
Beverley later explained that he was getting some payback after Reaves gave him the “too small” taunt during their game against each other last season when the veteran guard was a member of the Chicago Bulls, via his personal X account:
He hit me with the 2 little last year. Noted @PatBevPod https://t.co/19hht69Sh9
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) November 28, 2023
Reaves commented on it after the game and he expected Beverley to get him back knowing the competitor he is, as seen on Spectrum SportsNet:
“Pat is a super competitor. If you go back to when we played in Chicago last year when I did the ‘too small,’ I don’t remember if it was after the game when someone asked him about it and he was just like ‘it’s the game.’ Same response, basically. I respect Pat. Pat is a good dude, Pat is funny… So he had all the right in the world to say whatever he wanted to say. That’s the game. Competitors being competitive.”
Beverley isn’t the type of player to forget when someone taunts him and it looked like he relished getting some revenge on Reaves for the gesture. The two are former teammates and enjoyed a good relationship, but as opponents Beverley had no problem getting under Reaves’ skin.
The scuffle was emblematic of how the night went for Los Angeles as they looked outmatched and didn’t have many answers for Philadelphia. It’s been that sort of season for the purple and gold as one night they’ll look great and then they’ll turn around and put up a dud like they did against the 76ers.
Paul Reed calls out Anthony Davis for being flopper
Before the teams even faced off, there were some shots fired as backup big man Paul Reed called out Davis for being a flopper. Although Davis tried his best to make Reed eat his words, he and the Lakers had to endure a brutal loss instead.
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