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Lonzo Ball: Patrick Beverley welcomes Lakers rookie to NBA with tough defense

By Alex Butler

Oct. 20 (UPI) -- It didn't take long for Los Angeles Clippers defensive star Patrick Beverley to smoother Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball.

He did it from the get-go of the Clippers' 108-92 win against the Lakers Thursday at the Staples Center.

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Beverley showed his crafty ability to get inside the heads of opponents with about 7:50 remaining in the first quarter. He bodied up the Lakers rookie during an end bound play. Ball looked at Beverley for some relief, but Beverley did not relent.

Ball then pushed Beverley away. Once he dribbled past the half court line, Beverley lunged in to attempt a steal. Ball fell to the ground and Beverley was called for a foul. Beverley bodied up Ball again on the next play. It appeared to get into Ball's head because the rookie was on the wrong end of an over-and-back turnover on the next possession.

"I just had to set the tone man," Beverley told reporters in his postgame comments, according to ESPN. "Yeah I told him after the game, due to all of the riffraff his dad brings, he's going to get a lot of people coming at him. He has to be ready for that and I let him know after the game."

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This game was a long time coming. Beverley replied to an NBA on TNT tweet in September that mentioned LaVar Ball saying "I bet you Steph Curry won't go over there and try to guard him. Guaranteed. You'll see it."

Beverley wrote: "But imma guard him the first game and we will see about that!!!"

ESPN reported that after the game, Beverley walked into the locker room and said: "[Expletive] win. Weak [expletive]. Don't put that mother [expletive] on me."

LaVar Ball responded to the jab.

"Yeah, you shut the [expletive] down," LaVar Ball told ESPN. "And your check still ain't going to go no higher than what it is. Yeah, you shut him down. OK...Who is Patrick Beverley? He played all last year and nobody said nothing about him. Now we are looking at your first game. Why? Because Lonzo's name is attached to it."

Ball was 1-for-6 in the loss. He scored three points and had nine rebounds and four assists for the Lakers. Beverley had 10 points and three rebounds in the win.

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