OAKLAND – Stephen Curry got under Patrick Beverley’s skin Sunday night when the Clippers guard thought Curry was taunting him after winning an offensive rebound. After the game Curry clarified what happened in the tense moment.
“(The referee) said I flexed at Patrick which is a misinterpretation of what I was doing,” Curry said. “I flex as a joke all the time. Obviously I have nothing really to work with,” Curry said gesturing at his arms.
Here’s the moment again:
Steph ain't backing down pic.twitter.com/mRMNqRQBLE
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 24, 2018
“I was looking at the ground and kind of celebrating an offensive rebound, which I rarely get, he just happened to be standing there. He had a reaction to it. I told Pat, ‘You gotta do what you gotta do if you felt it was directed at you but it wasn’t.’ It is what it is,” Curry said.
After snatching the rebound, Curry held the ball as he flexed playfully under the bucket. Beverley knocked the ball out of Steph’s hands and followed up with a shove. Curry seemed to relish the situation as he got right back in Beverley’s face with a smile. The fans at Oracle were quick to take Curry’s side as the crowd erupted in boos.
After an official review of the play, both Curry and Beverley were awarded technicals. The fans again had Curry’s back as he approached the referee in disbelief.
During his postgame presser, Curry was asked to divulge exactly what Beverley said to him in the heat of the moment. Curry wasn’t having it.
“Nothing,” Curry said taking a long pause, although he did commend the reporter for asking. “Good try though.”
Curry is known for having some swagger on the court, a trait that has gotten under Beverley’s skin in the past. Beverley, one of the league’s most notorious agitators, wasted no time getting into Curry during Game 1 of the Western Conference Playoffs in 2016.
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