An NBA spokesperson confirmed that it will not issue an additional penalty to Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks for hitting Lakers star LeBron James in the groin in Saturday’s game. the athlete Sunday. Here’s what you need to know:
- Brooks was ejected from Game 3 after appearing to intentionally hit James as he dribbled a ball down the field in the third quarter.
- James collapsed into court and remained frustrated for a few minutes. The officials reviewed the play and rated a flagrant -2 foul on Brooks, an automatic ejection.
- The Lakers went on to win 111-101 and entered Game 4 on Monday in Los Angeles leading the first round of the qualifying series 2-1.
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Earlier in the week, Brooks sparked controversy when he called James “old”.
“I kidding bears,” said Brooks, 27. “I don’t respect anyone until they come and give me 40 (points).”
Before the comments, James and Brooks were breaking into each other in the third quarter of the Grizzlies’ Game 2 victory over the Lakers. The Lakers were down by 20 points at one point in that game, but James, 38, was out to bring them back. When Brooks was whistled for his fourth foul, according to Brooks, James told him, “You’re stupid for making that foul.”
“I don’t care – he’s too old,” Brooks said, among other things, among them being that James isn’t as good as he was earlier in his career. “I was expecting him to (talk trash), Game 4, Game 5.”
James dismissed the comments on Friday, saying he was “not here for the bulls-” and that he didn’t “want to talk too much” about Brooks’ comments.
James went on to score 25 points with nine rebounds and five assists in response on Saturday, and the Lakers tied an NBA record for the largest end-of-the-first-quarter advantage in playoff history when they led the Grizzlies 35-9.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I don’t make any statements,” James said Saturday. “We had the opportunity to go home and play well at home, and we did. No statement was made.”
On Tuesday, the NBA suspended Warriors forward Draymond Green for Game 3 of the first round of the Western Conference against the Kings for stepping on Domantas Sabonis. Green was assessed a flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the match for the move.
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(Photo: Justin Ford/Getty Images)