Bucks’ Patrick Beverly Promises To ‘Be Better’ After Multiple Scuffles After Elimination Loss

Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverly found himself in multiple scuffles during and after the team’s 98-120 elimination loss to the Indiana Pacers in Thursday night’s first round of the NBA playoffs. The first incident came with 3:30 left in the fourth quarter, with Beverly throwing the ball at Pacers fans as a sign of frustration. After the game, Beverly also asked an ESPN reporter not to be present for an interview in the locker room after saying she did not subscribe to Beverly’s podcast. He finished the game on 40 minutes played with six points, five assists and two rebounds as the Bucks’ season ends.

Beverly was not punished in the game directly after the incident, but the league will review the footage and decide whether to discipline him. Throughout his career, Beverly has been known for being a fiery competitor, not afraid to get in someone’s face. Still, it was the first time he let his emotions out through interactions with opposing fans.

After the game, reporters interviewed Beverly in the Buck’s locker room. ESPN’s Malinda Adams attempted to ask him a question about the game, but Beverly denied a response, citing that she wasn’t subscribed to his Pat Bev Pod podcast.

“You can’t interview me then,” Beverly said to Adams as he asked her to leave the group of other reporters in the locker room.

This strange trend of Beverly asking reporters if they are subscribed to his podcast has continued since he joined Milwaukee earlier this season. Though not a new trend for reporters covering Beverly and the Bucks, it was seemingly the first time he asked someone to explicitly not interview him. Adams said that Beverly and the Bucks organization eventually apologized for his actions postgame.

Later that night, Beverly had another post on X in which he said, “But I have to be better. And I will.”

Though two out-of-the-ordinary interactions with both fans and reporters, much of Beverly’s frustrations come from the lack of performance from the Bucks team. They played without Giannis Antetokounmpo for the entire series and had to deal with lingering injuries from Damian Lillard. Many expected Milwaukee to be a title favorite at the beginning of the season. Still, due to the injuries, they eventually lost out to a young and energetic Pacers team led by Tyrese Haliburton.

Beverly averaged 8.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists while starting all six games for the Bucks this postseason. Milwaukee’s loss marks the second year in a row that it has missed the second round of the playoffs, and the team will face many difficult roster decisions as its offseason begins.