Watch: Patrick Beverley tosses ball at ex-coach Nick Nurse after sweeping Sixers 2-0 since trade
Patrick Beverley and the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 114-105 on Thursday, sweeping their season series 3-0. That includes a 2-0 record since acquiring Beverley from Philly midseason. After securing the sweep, the veteran point guard appeared to rub in the victory against his former team.
The Sixers surprised many by trading Beverley to the Bucks at the Feb. 8 trade deadline. The deal came just months after they signed him to a one-year, $3.2 million contract in the offseason.
Shortly after the trade, the 12-year veteran took shots at Philly on his podcast. He noted that the biggest difference between the Bucks and Sixers is that “everybody wants to win” in Milwaukee and the team is “not about stats.”
Given his actions to end Thursday’s contest, Beverley may still have hard feelings. After dribbling the ball up the court and running out the clock, he tossed the ball toward his ex-coach Nick Nurse and Philly’s bench.
However, Nurse seemingly didn’t notice, as a Sixers player deflected the ball as he walked toward the locker room.
Notably, Philly played without reigning MVP Joel Embiid (knee). So, Milwaukee was highly favored to win. Meanwhile, the shorthanded Sixers put up a respectable fight, leading by as many as 12 points.
Furthermore, Beverley only recorded six points, two rebounds and two assists on 2-for-5 shooting (40.0%). So, he didn’t exactly light up his former team.
Nonetheless, Beverley’s postgame antics could add another layer of intrigue to a potential playoff matchup between the Eastern Conference rivals.
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Patrick Beverley, Bucks maintain East’s No. 2 seed following season sweep of Sixers
Entering Thursday’s home matchup against the Sixers, Patrick Beverley and the Bucks struggled, losing three of four games on their West Coast road trip. So, their victory helped them get back on track amid their quest to secure the East’s No. 2 seed.
Milwaukee, led by a game-high 32 points from superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, outscored Philly 34-22 in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback win.
“They were the instigators the entire first three quarters,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought in the fourth quarter it flipped.”
With their victory, the Bucks (43-24) maintained a 0.5-game advantage over the Cleveland Cavaliers (42-24) for the second seed with 15 games remaining. They will look to maintain their positioning in the standings when they host the Phoenix Suns (38-28) on Sunday.
On the other hand, the Sixers (36-30) will look to bounce back when they host the Charlotte Hornets (17-49) on Saturday.
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