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Tim McMahon
Los Angeles– dillon brooks Patted the bear again and enjoyed every bit of it.
brooks ignite Los Angeles Lakers for 33 points in phoenix sun, win 125-108 Monday night, and his prolific scoring wasn’t the most entertaining aspect of his performance in his favorite road arena.
Brooks has been treated like a public enemy in the Crypto.com Arena since the first round of the 2023 playoffs, when he boasted “I kill the bear” and contemptuously called Lebron James After “old”. memphis grizzlies‘Win Game 2. Brooks struggled the rest of the series – his final game in a Memphis uniform – as the Lakers defeated the Grizzlies in six games.
Brooks booed the crowd and James throughout Monday’s contest. He constantly talked trash and celebrated his many buckets with animated gestures that were similar to some of James’ favorite celebrations. For example, Brooks glared at James after a transition dunk in the second quarter and twice gave an exaggerated shrug, causing fans to jeer.
“I love playing on this field,” Brooks said. “They show me a lot of love here, and I reciprocate that.
“I’m a competitor, man. I don’t like to smile and giggle and all that, so just let them know I’m here. And I’m still growing.”
James stopped by the Suns bench during a timeout late in the third quarter and barked at Brooks, who took great satisfaction in getting under the skin of the 40-year-old all-time leading scorer.
“He likes people who bend,” said Brooks, 29. “I don’t bend. So, it’s either seduce him or excite him – either or.”
Brooks’ energy and antics keep the Suns happy and motivated, who are off to a fresh 13-9 start, an impressive turnaround from last season’s 36-46 record.
“Sometimes, I’m trying to tell him to relax, but I think he just blacks out,” the Phoenix point guard said. Colin GillespieWho scored a career-high 28 points in Monday’s win and who Brooks has nicknamed “Villain Jr.” Because of his tenacity. “That’s Dillon Brooks. It gives us energy. Obviously, we love it when he steps up. He’s the tone-setter for us. Constant energy, brings it every night. He’s fearless. Doesn’t back down from anybody, and he’ll go toe-to-toe with anybody.”
Brooks had plenty to talk about as Suns win despite star guard devin booker exit after 10 minutes Due to strain in the right waist. Sun The Lakers’ seven-game winning streak was broken.And James finished with just 10 points, barely extending his regular season record of 1,297 straight games scoring in double figures.
“He’s the ultimate competitor,” first-year Suns coach Jordan Ott said of Brooks. “He’s talked a lot about coming back into this building. He had a tough playoff run a few years ago. This means something different to him. We feel that way as a group. It means something different to him, so we obviously follow his lead.”
Brooks scored 23 of his 33 points in the first half, including 15 points in the second quarter, helping the Suns take a 14-point lead at halftime. He made 10 of 11 shots from the floor during one period, and exchanged trash talk with courtside fans on several occasions.
“They wanted me to keep shooting, so I kept shooting,” said Brooks, who shot 15 of 26 from the floor against the Lakers and averaged a career-best 22.3 points per game.
Brooks’ name did not come up during James’ postgame media availability. But it’s not hard to understand how James feels about Brooks.
Brooks retreated after Lakers emptied the bench in the fourth quarter bronnie james And he was called for traveling before attempting a turnaround jumper. As LeBron raised his right hand above his head with his thumb down, the television broadcast cut to Bronny’s father on the Lakers’ bench.
