Patrick Beverley Investigated for Reportedly Confronting Thunder Fan After Rockets' Game 3 Loss

Rockets guard Patrick Beverley is under NBA investigation after confronting an Oklahoma City Thunder fan following a playoff game on Friday.

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Patrick Beverley is known for his rugged defense and refusal to back down from any opponent, but he may have left the switch flipped on a little too long after a Game 3 loss to the Thunder on Friday night. According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, the NBA is looking into a post-game confrontation between the Rockets guard and a Thunder fan.

Footage from the arena shows Beverley getting in the face of a man in the stands wearing Thunder blue, and he eventually had to be separated from the fan by other NBA personnel.

Unconfirmed reports have suggested that Beverley may have knocked a banner out of the hands of the fan before exchanging some heated words with him. There may have also been contact between the two parties earlier in the game:

While the cause of the incident is as yet unknown, officials from Chesapeake Energy Arena have already revealed that they will assist with an NBA investigation into the matter.

"The Facility is aware of an incident occurring immediately following last night's game and will cooperate with the NBA in any way we can," said Tim Linville, the arena's Director of Marketing. "As of this time, we have not received any requests for information or video from the NBA."

An investigation will require the league to review any in-arena footage they can obtain and to interview Beverley about the incident.  

There's no word yet on what the potential discipline could be for Beverley, as these incidents tend to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. But history suggests this could get pricey for Houston's point guard, as Matt Barnes was fined $50,000 for "directing inappropriate language" at James Harden's mother during a 2015 game, while Joakim Noah lost $25,000 on the same day as Barnes for pushing a Cleveland Cavaliers fan during halftime.

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