'I'm a foxhole guy': Pat Bev tossed for Ayton shove

PHOENIX -- Lakers defender Patrick Beverley was ejected for shoving Suns halfway Deandre Ayton to the level precocious successful Los Angeles' 115-105 loss connected Tuesday, but the longtime seasoned said his actions were prompted by however Phoenix players were treating his teammate, Austin Reaves.

"Got a idiosyncratic connected the ground, 2 radical looking implicit mean-mugging and puffing their thorax retired and referees don't get into it to benignant of abstracted it, power the game, truthful I'm going to basal up for my teammate," Beverley said.

With 3:55 remaining successful the 4th quarter, and the Suns up 106-96, Devin Booker was called for a shooting foul connected Reaves, making interaction with the second-year swingman and past lasting implicit him and staring astatine him portion Reaves was connected the ground. Ayton besides stood implicit Reaves aft Booker earlier Beverley noticed, astatine which constituent helium ran respective steps and body-checked Ayton with his near enarthrosis erstwhile Ayton wasn't looking.

"I'm not going for that s---," Beverley said. "Obviously it's unfortunate that it happened connected nationalist TV, but you cognize me, careless of what's going connected I'm a large instrumentality of protecting my teammates. ... I'm a foxhole guy. I enactment connected the jersey and I perpetrate to a team, I perpetrate to a metropolis and it's benignant of my motto. I'm a foxhole guy.

"Very unfortunate situation, though."

After a video review, Booker was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul for his deed connected Reaves, Beverley was assessed a method foul and ejected, and Ayton was besides fixed a tech.

"I truly didn't spot overmuch aft I got deed successful the nose," said Reaves. "I thought I was bleeding truthful I was connected the ground. And erstwhile I did turnaround, I saw Pat person my back, which I love. Everybody connected the squad ... is the aforesaid way. If it was him, we would've done the aforesaid happening for him."

Reaves said helium had already told Beverley that helium appreciated him "four oregon 5 times" from the extremity of the crippled to the clip that Reaves spoke to reporters.

"He's a squad player," Reaves said. "He rocks with who helium rocks with. Whoever is connected his team, you respect him. You emotion him. You're gladsome he's connected your team. When he's not, he's a pest, does each that stuff, each those small things. But I conscionable respect him for who helium is and lasting up for me."

The Suns didn't stock the aforesaid appreciation.

"I conscionable deliberation the league needs to instrumentality a look astatine those kinds of plays, they're conscionable unnecessary," said Phoenix manager Monty Williams. "It's conscionable getting silly. That's the lone connection I tin travel up with."

Ayton said helium made definite to support his composure aft the incident.

"He ain't wounded me, helium didn't instrumentality thing retired of my pouch and I ain't react," helium said.

Booker suggested that it wasn't the archetypal clip he's seen Beverley usage a inexpensive changeable successful a game.

"Pat needs to halt pushing radical successful the back," Booker said during his on-court interrogation aft the crippled arsenic portion of the TNT broadcast. "Push them successful the chest. That's each I got to say."

When informed of Booker's comments, Beverley said: "I'm not going backmost and distant with each of that."

The altercation grabbed the spotlight from an otherworldly effort from Anthony Davis to effort to support L.A.'s three-game winning streak intact arsenic LeBron James (groin) sat for the 5th consecutive game. Davis, who finished with 37 points connected 11-for-17 shooting and 15-for-16 from the escaped propulsion line, 21 rebounds, 5 steals and 5 blocks, became the archetypal subordinate successful league past to notch astatine slightest 35 points, 20 rebounds, 5 steals and 5 blocks successful a game.

Davis besides confronted Ayton aft Beverley shoved the Suns' large man.

"We're ne'er going to fto anyone basal implicit our teammate oregon marque them consciousness similar they're not a man," Davis said. "That's disrespectful."

Lakers manager Darvin Ham suggested that the league could levy further subject against Beverley, but Ham was OK with the tone of Beverley's action.

"Pat Bev, you don't privation conscionable to beryllium a pugnacious antheral competition, you really privation to play pugnacious basketball. But astatine the extremity of the day, I'm not huffy astatine him," Ham said. "He's determination protecting his teammate, and I'm definite he'll astir apt spell done immoderate benignant of effect for that, but astatine the extremity of the day, that's what we person to beryllium arsenic Lakers. We got to beryllium together."

When asked if helium was acrophobic astir the NBA punishing him, Beverley said, "for sure," but added helium would judge immoderate fallout that occurs from the altercation.

"Very unprofessional by myself. Definitely could person reacted successful a antithetic way," helium said. "So, yeah, I'm a large boy. I'll instrumentality my lumps nevertheless they come."