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“Please Trade This Man”: Despite Blowout, $13 Million Star’s “Clown” Antics in Absence of LeBron James Enrages Lakers Fans

Published 12/20/2022, 12:17 AM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

The Phoenix Suns hosted the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night. The Suns put up a dominating performance, resulting in a 26-point victory. The Lakers were playing without the presence of their stars. The pre-game report stated that LeBron James and Russell Westbrook were now tending to injuries and soreness. Hence they weren’t included in the line-up or roster. Amidst their absence, Lakers’ star Patrick Beverley left fans enraged with his antics against a 12-time All-Star.

The Phoenix Suns commanded their way through the game. Despite this, the Los Angeles Lakers found some rhythm in the third quarter, making 32 points in 12 minutes. However, their performance during this quarter was not the only talking point for fans. In the 9th minute of the third quarter, Patrick Beverley was in possession of the ball. While heading toward the basket, he was fouled by Phoenix Suns’ star Chris Paul. After the referee blew the whilst, Beverley turned around and made a gesture. The gesture indicated that Chris Paul was “too small” for the Lakers’ Star. Beverley’s antics came when the Lakers were down by 21 points. This left the Laker nation unhappy.

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Patrick Beverley, not a fan favorite

Fans were quick to launch an attack on Patrick Beverley while the Los Angeles Lakers were facing a blowout. The 13 million dollar star was subjected to heavy criticism for his actions. Many begged for the organization to trade Beverley out while others addressed him as a clown. Some also claimed that they were embarrassed by Beverley’s antics especially after being down by 21 points. Fans also found his behavior to be petty. Here are some of the reactions.

The injury-riddled game for LeBron James and the Lakers

As game wins were bagged, the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans had much to celebrate about a couple of days ago. However, a dark cloud covered the team as news broke that a bunch of their players, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook included, were dealing with injuries.

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Reports stated that LeBron James was out due to a left ankle soreness while Russell Westbrook aided to a left foot soreness. The others on the injury list were Austin Reaves, Anthony Davis, and Juan-Toscano Andersson.

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USA Today via Reuters

The Lakers shorthanded line-up struggled to put up a fight against the Phoenix Suns. Despite the absence of their star Devin Booker, the Phoenix Suns produced an all-round performance that was led by Chris Paul’s 28 points and Deandre Ayton’s 21 points. The Lakers saw contributions from Dennis Schroder who put up 30 points.

This injury-riddled game is one to forget for the Lakers. With that said, an update on the injured players is yet to be given.

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What do you think about Patrick Beverley’s antics? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Shriya Rajachandra

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Shriya Rajachandra is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. She earned a bachelor's degree in Journalism, Psychology, and Communicative English. Shriya previously interned at The New Indian Express, but her favorite journalist, Marcus Thompson motivated her to start writing about basketball.
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Edited by:

Gideon Mathson