The Lakers appreciated Patrick Beverley shoving Deandre Ayton to stand up for Austin Reaves

The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, and the talk of the NBA ecosystem was all set to be about Anthony Davis accomplishing a stat line that literally no one in NBA history has ever achieved before. At least until Patrick Beverley saw Deandre Ayton standing over Austin Reaves.

Beverley, never one to shy away from shoving a Suns player, responded with a two-handed push, sending Ayton sprawling and both teams scurrying to defend their teammates and jaw at each other.

Beverley was ejected — and actually walked out the tunnel to the locker room before the verdict came down, knowing what was coming. He is a veteran of many such scuffles, after all — while Devin Booker received a Flagrant 1 foul for smacking Reaves in the head to kick the whole thing off, and Ayton got a technical of his own for standing over the undrafted Lakers sophomore when he was on the ground after the contact.

The Suns were not happy about the fracas in Phoenix, with Booker calling Beverley out by name in his nationally televised postgame interview on TNT:

We here at Silver Screen and Roll agree: Players should never shove an unsuspecting player in the back. It sure would be a shame if there was footage of Devin Booker doing exactly th... oh, you’re telling me he did? Less than two years ago? On TNT?

Ah.

Nevertheless, it would be fairly shocking if Beverley didn’t get additionally punished with a fine or suspension for this. And frankly, it will be deserved. But regardless of what comes his way, he said after the game he’d always make the same choice:

He also declined to address Booker’s remarks, saying “I’m not going back and forth with all of that.”

For his part, Reaves made sure to let Beverley know the gesture was appreciated, and that he’d do the same thing if the roles were reversed (which as an aside, is hilarious to picture, because I think if Reaves tried to shove Ayton, Reaves would probably fall down, but I’m sure Pat appreciated the sentiment nonetheless):

Again, the NBA can’t allow this kind of stuff, and will always punish teams and players when it happens, but part of the fraternity of a cohesive locker room is guys standing up for each other. The Lakers appreciated the reminder that Beverley has their back:

Stay tuned to Silver Screen and Roll for updates on Beverley’s status moving forward, but it’s safe to say that even if he ends up missing a game or two, his teammates will consider him setting the tone worth it.

For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow Harrison on Twitter at @hmfaigen.