Brooks humiliates Lakers: 33 points and taunts to LeBron James

Dillon Brooks lit the flame again and enjoyed every moment. Brooks scored 33 points against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Phoenix Suns’ victory, and his scoring wasn’t the most striking thing about his performance in his favorite away arena.

Since the first round of the 2023 playoffs, Brooks has been treated as a public enemy at Crypto.com Arena, when he declared: “I provoke bears” and called LeBron James “old” after the Memphis Grizzlies’ victory in the second game. Brooks struggled the rest of the series, his last games in a Memphis uniform, as the Lakers eliminated the Grizzlies in six games.

Brooks taunted the crowd and James throughout Monday’s game. He talked trash relentlessly and celebrated several of his baskets with animated gestures that looked a lot like some of James’s favorite celebrations. For example, Brooks stared at James after a transition dunk in the second quarter and twice did an exaggerated shrug, drawing boos from the fans.

I love playing in this stadium. They show me a lot of affection here, and I return it.

Dillon Brooks

James stood near the Suns’ bench during a timeout at the end of the third quarter and yelled at Brooks, who was very pleased to get under the skin of the all-time leading scorer, 40 years old.

He likes people who bow. I don’t bow. So that either attracts him or aggravates him, either way.

Dillon Brooks

Brooks’ energy and antics amuse and inspire the Suns, who have a promising 13-9 start, an impressive recovery from last season’s 36-46 record.

Sometimes I try to tell him to calm down, but I think he just turns it off. That’s Dillon Brooks. He feeds us. Obviously, we love it when he turns it on. He sets the tone for us. Constant energy, he brings it every night. He’s not afraid. He doesn’t back down from anyone, and he’ll go face to face with anyone.

Collin Gillespie

Brooks had a lot to talk about, leading the Suns to victory despite star guard Devin Booker leaving after 10 minutes due to a right groin strain. The Suns snapped the Lakers’ seven-game winning streak, and James finished with only 10 points, barely extending his regular season record of 1,297 consecutive games scoring in double figures.

He is the ultimate competitor. He has talked a lot about returning to this building. He had a tough playoffs a couple of years ago. This means something different to him. We feel it as a group. This means something different to him, so we obviously follow his lead.

Jordan Ott

Brooks scored 23 of his 33 points in the first half, including 15 in the second quarter, helping the Suns take a 14-point lead at halftime. He made 10 of 11 field goals during one stretch, exchanging trash talk with the court fans on several occasions.

They wanted me to keep shooting, so I kept shooting.

Dillon Brooks

Brooks finished with 15 of 26 field goals against the Lakers and averages 22.3 points per game, a career high. Brooks’ name did not come up during James’ media availability after the game. But it’s not hard to discern how James feels about Brooks. After the Lakers cleared the bench in the final quarter, Brooks backed into Bronny James and was called for a foul before attempting a jump shot. The television broadcast showed Bronny’s father on the Lakers’ bench as LeBron raised his right hand above his head with his thumb down.