The Los Angeles Lakers had their seven-game profitable streak snapped by the Phoenix Suns, and LeBron James and Dillon Brooks have been stepping into it throughout the recreation.
Dillon Brooks led the Phoenix Suns as he has so usually this season, scoring 33 factors to drag off the upset towards the Los Angeles Lakers. And he taunted LeBron James all through the sport, even mimicking his celebration after a fastbreak dunk.
The Canadian is an aggravating determine at one of the best of instances, however he hasn’t all the time been in a position to again up his speak towards James. He tried to get within the NBA’s all-time main scorer’s head throughout the 2023 playoffs, however James led the Lakers to a sequence win in six video games, and Brooks carried out poorly.
In reality, it’s taken Brooks till this season to get better from that sequence, however he’s now in a position to again up his speak with a career-best season. And after getting some partial revenge over James on this recreation, he had a lot to say concerning the 40-year-old, as anticipated.
If there’s something we find out about Brooks at this level in his profession, it’s that he’s not going to again down from anyone.
That’s been precisely the kind of edge that the Suns wanted after buying and selling Kevin Durant. It’s helped them problem for playoff rivalry when many thought they have been punting on the 12 months. And that aggressive fireplace noticed the Suns pull off the win in LA to cease a two-game slide.
Whereas his workforce have been in a gap throughout the third quarter, James was nonetheless seen in good spirits, laughing and joking with a few of his opponents.
However Brooks put a cease to that, aggravating James to the purpose the place his teammates needed to drag the NBA icon again to the huddle when he spent a timeout jarring together with his previous adversary later within the recreation.
Following the win, Brooks defined that he noticed James laughing together with his teammates and didn’t take kindly to it.
He mentioned to reporters, “I’m a competitor, man. I don’t actually just like the smiling and the guffawing and all that. Simply letting him know that I’m right here and I’m nonetheless rising.”
Brooks was then requested if James took offense to his trash-talking, and he replied: “All the time, all the time, all the time. He likes people who find themselves going to bow down. I don’t bow down. That both entices him or aggravates him, both or.”
Brooks was an afterthought within the Durant commerce to the Houston Rockets. The large title arriving in Phoenix was thrilling younger star Jalen Inexperienced, who was anticipated to type a formidable duo with Devin Booker. As an alternative, it’s been Brooks who has stepped up into stardom.
Booker signed a $150 million extension this summer season, however it’s been Brooks who has led this workforce. He’s been the emotional spine of his new franchise, main the Suns to a prime 10 protection within the NBA.
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And he’s mixed this new management function with a profession 12 months on offense. Brooks is placing up 21.5 factors per night time, by far one of the best of his nine-year NBA profession, and he went 15-22 on the night time towards the Lakers, pulling each offensive transfer out of his newfound bag to steer the Suns.
The 15-4 Lakers having no reply for Brooks wasn’t on our bingo card at the beginning of the 12 months, and that’s a testomony to the work he’s put into growing on that aspect of the ball.
