Patrick Beverley knew he would be ejected for shoving Deandre Ayton, so he left before the refs told him

© Provided by For The Win

Patrick Beverley has had beef with a lot of players and teams around the NBA, and the Phoenix Suns are certainly no exception.

Beverley, who shoved Phoenix’s Chris Paul during the postseason in 2021 and has since publicly criticized the veteran guard, was involved in another skirmish on Tuesday evening.

During the fourth quarter of a loss against the Suns, Phoenix’s Devin Booker fouled Lakers wing Austin Reaves. Booker and his teammate Deandre Ayton then stood above Reaves, much to the chagrin of Beverley.

Within mere moments, Beverley charged at Ayton and shoved him to the floor. The two teams were nearly involved in an altercation before they were eventually separated.

As the refs gathered to make a decision about whether or not Booker’s foul was flagrant, Beverley already knew his fate.

Rather than wait until hear what the officials had to say, Beverley made his way to the locker room so he didn’t have to hear the boos rain down from the fans at the Footprint Center as the verdict was read:

Lakers big man Anthony Davis, who finished the game with 37 points and 21 rebounds as well as 5 steals and 5 blocks, said Ayton and Booker were being “disrespectful” by standing over Reaves.

Beverley said that he was simply protecting his teammate. Reaves said he told Beverley “four or five times” that he appreciated his help.

This was Beverley’s ninth ejection from a game since 2018, per Spotrac.

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