MINNEAPOLIS — The NBA fined Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley $30,000 on Thursday in reaction to the veteran's "inappropriate statements during a media interview and on social media, including the egregious use of profanity" following Tuesday's play-in victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Beverley played the past four seasons for the Clippers, and following the game he celebrated by jumping onto the scorers' table, throwing his jersey into the crowd and pumping up his teammates.
But the fine came because of his comments suggesting his former team get back to Los Angeles, with variations on the theme in colorful language.
After the game, Beverley was in tears on the bench. During his postgame press conference, he drank a beer as he entertained reporters.
"Man, I wanted this so bad," Beverley said. "I wanted this one so bad."
Beverley was also fined $25,000 by the NBA on Tuesday for improper conduct toward a game official after being ejected from the Wolves' final game of the regular season. He received two technical fouls for complaining about calls that were — and weren't — made in the loss to Chicago.
The Timberwolves earned the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference with the victory, and start a best-of-seven first-round playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday in Memphis.
