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Things got a bit heated between Patrick Beverley and Damian Lillard at the LA Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers game on Sunday night.
Given that the two teams are battling for a spot in the Play-In Tournament, the game at Moda Center was full of excitement and witnessed Lakers guard Patrick Beverley and Blazers superstar Damian Lillard go at each other.
During the first quarter of the game, Beverley was seen interrupting Lillard's free throw routine. The situation quickly escalated as words were exchanged between the two players, with Beverley even approaching Lillard at one point.
Watch the video below:
With tempers running high, the exchange injected some life into the game. Teammates and officials rushed to the court to prevent further escalation, and Beverley was immediately given a technical for his actions.
As fans looked on at the interaction, they couldn't resist reacting to it on social media. Here are some of the best fan reactions from Twitter:
Lillard is widely regarded as one of the most gifted scorers in the league. Although he suffered an injury last season, he remains a highly influential force for the Blazers.
Meanwhile, Beverley has earned a reputation as a Hall of Fame-level pest on the defensive end of things. Known for getting inside people's heads by taunting them, Beverley tends to play a lot of tricks to gain a psychological upper hand. However, this often rubs officials the wrong way as well.
Watch: Patrick Beverley hits Chris Paul with the "too small" celebration with LA Lakers down 24 points
Beverley's actions on Sunday night did inspire a response from the Blazers in the second quarter, as the Portland side raced to a 71-46 lead. However, it was a completely different story third quarter onwards, as the Lakers prevailed 40-20 in the third and 35-21 in the fourth to take the game 121-112.
With Beverley's influence potentially playing a role in deterring Portland's shooting, the Lakers managed to notch a miraculous comeback win.
Patrick Beverley continued to mock Damian Lillard
As mentioned earlier, Patrick Beverley has earned a reputation as the king of trash talk. Although this has resulted in him accumulating several technical fouls over the course of his career, it has had an equal impact on shifting momentum during games.
This aspect was certainly on display on Sunday night as the LA Lakers walked away with a miraculous 121-112 win against Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers.
With the Lakers' defense on full display in the second quarter, Patrick Beverley also led by example as he locked up Lillard. With LA taking the lead in the fourth quarter, Beverley mocked Damian Lillard for failing to show up for his team in crunch time.
Mocking Damian Lillard's "Dame Time" celebration, Beverley undoubtedly annoyed the fans and the players in Portland. However, on the back of a truly incredible win, this action could be overlooked.
With the Lakers notching their second win in a row, the team found themselves at 21-25 on the season. Still battling for a place in the Play-In Tournament, the Lakers will hope to build upon this win.
