What preceded Patrick Beverley’s viral beer moment? The green light from Nick Nurse.
Nurse wanted Beverley to take advantage of opponents leaving him open on the perimeter. "Coach gives you confidence like that, you can’t help but to go out there and kind of throw them in."
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Patrick Beverley has a not-so-subtle way to celebrate postgame.
The 76ers reserve point guard has cracked open and sipped on a cold beer on multiple occasions.
Beverley says it’s something he does after victories. However, the 35-year-old has also enjoyed a cold beverage following a hot shooting night regardless of the outcome. And if Beverley can keep it up, he might find himself with a beer endorsement from the attention he’ll receive after a recent viral moment with his Miller Lite.
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The 12th-year player is averaging 11.8 points while shooting 46.2% on three-pointers over his last six games. This comes after Beverley averaged 2.3 points and shot 13.6% from deep in the first 16 games.
“Just extra work,” Beverley said of his recent shooting. “Obviously, when you come to a new team, you want to play well. I think I was one-sided. I think I was straight defensively. Obviously, you guys heard about the conversation me and [coach Nick] Nurse had. He wanted me to take more shots, eight to 10 attempts a game.”
Nurse wanted Beverley to take advantage of opposing teams leaving him unguarded on the perimeter. He wanted the fierce competitor to step into those open looks and bury three-pointers.
That led to his shot attempts going from an average of 2.8 through the first 16 games to 7.8 over the last six games. His three-point attempts have gone from 1.4 to 4.3.
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Beverley’s breakout game came when he scored 12 points while making 4 of 8 three-pointers in a 138-94 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 27 at the Wells Fargo Center.
His best game came while starting in place of Tyrese Maxey (illness) in a 125-119 loss to the Boston Celtics on Dec. 1 at TD Garden. Playing a season-high 38 minutes, 22 seconds, he scored a season-high 24 points on 11-for-15 shooting — including making 3 of 5 three-pointers. Beverley also had a season-high eight rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. Despite losing that night, he cracked open a postgame brew afterward to celebrate a standout effort.
Beverley also added 12 points on 3-for-4 three-point shooting in just 11:28 in Monday’s 146-101 home victory over the Washington Wizards.
Beverley averaged 8.5 points, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals in 593 career games with the Chicago Bulls, Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets before signing with the Sixers.
He’s averaging 4.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 18 minutes while shooting a career-best 44.0% as a Sixer.
He signed a one-year deal for $3.1 million with the Sixers on July 9. But based on Beverley’s grit and leadership, one could argue that the Sixers got him at a bargain rate.
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The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder was regarded as one of the league’s biggest antagonists and has been widely considered the heart and soul of almost every team he has joined.
That has continued in Philly, where his defense, coaching, and recent hot streak have turned heads. And led to a few postgame beers.
“So, you know, Coach gives you confidence like that,” Beverley said, “you can’t help but to go out there and kind of throw them in. I think that’s the result of that.”