The LA Clippers weren’t heavily represented during All-Star weekend with just Patrick Beverley and Kawhi Leonard attending but still made an impression.
All-Star Weekend is now in the books and the NBA world is on pause as players take time off to recover and get ready for the second half of the season. The LA Clippers only had two representatives in All-Star Weekend this year, Kawhi Leonard and Patrick Beverley, but still made an impact. Here are the top three moments from All-Star Weekend.
Honorable Mention – Patrick Beverley in the Skills Challenge
Patrick Beverley was one of the first players named a participant in the Taco Bells Skills Challenge. A previous winner, Bev was given the opportunity to take his crown back in his hometown of Chicago.
When the event went down though, he was unable to make it out of the first round. Prior to the event, Isiah Thomas (who I guess was maybe drunk?) told everyone in attendance that he believed Beverley would be the winner of the Skills Challenge due to his tenacity. He was dead wrong.
Beverley drew a matchup against the Toronto Raptors’ Pascal Siakam in the first round of the competition and didn’t stand a chance. Bev failed to connect on all three of his chest passes and Siakam easily won, eliminating Bev.
Despite the extremely quick outing, it was great to see Pat out there competing. He didn’t look 100% which is to be expected since he has missed the team’s last four games with a groin injury. While Clipper Nation probably would have rathered him continue to rest and not compete, there was no way Bev was not going to give it a try in his home town. The minute or two he was out there will likely have no lasting impact on his recovery schedule and it’s safe to assume the team gave him the go-ahead in participating.
With the Clippers not playing until Saturday, February 22, Bev will have more time to rest up and get right before the team makes one final push to secure their seeding for the Western Conference playoffs.