Patrick Beverley blasts Memphis Grizzlies head coach over complaints about refs

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley ripped Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins for the latter’s criticism of officials following a close loss on Saturday.

Jenkins was fined $15,000 on Monday by the NBA for his criticism, which came after the Grizzlies’ 119-118 loss to the Timberwolves in Game 4 of their Western Conference playoff series.

Among the comments made by Jenkins was the statement that the contest was one of the most “poorly officiated games I’ve ever seen in my NBA career.”

The 37-year-old Jenkins is in his third season as head coach of the Grizzlies after spending five years as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks and one year as an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Beverley, who turns 34 in July, has been in the NBA since the 2012-13 season, the year before Jenkins became an assistant with the Hawks. Over that time, he’s played for three different teams and is in his first year with the Timberwolves.

The surprising series wasn’t expected to be as tight as it’s become. The Grizzlies finished with the second-best record in the Western Conference during the regular season while the Timberwolves finished with the seventh-best record in the West.

However, despite the Grizzlies being solid favorites, they dropped the opening contest on April 16. Then, during Game 3 on Thursday, they needed a dramatic fourth quarter comeback to take a 2-1 series lead.

Had the Grizzlies managed to win Saturday night, they would have been in position to clinch the series when it resumes in Memphis on Tuesday.

Instead, a loss by the Grizzlies in Game 5 would put them in an unenviable position.