Dillon Brooks is already leaning into the temperature of tonight’s Suns-Rockets matchup.
The Phoenix forward said he expects the game to carry extra edge when the Suns meet Houston, his former team, and Kevin Durant after the social media back-and-forth that flared up last month between Durant and Suns owner Mat Ishbia.
“For sure. I think there’s juice already, because he didn’t play the first game back in Phoenix,” Brooks said (via The Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin).
“So, yeah, it’s going to be a good game. I love playing (against) my old teams.
It brings a certain fire out of me.”
The exchange started when Durant reacted on X to a CNBC interview in which Ishbia said of trading for Durant: “I kind of just threw money at the problem... Bringing in super talented players like Kevin Durant doesn’t necessarily lead to championships.”
Durant’s response was pointed: “#blameKD even though KD stayed on top of his game at 36 and got u back this “culture” you love so much. Aye, Matthew acts like I got arrested for a DUI or sumn. Back to threads 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂”
That line seemed to land as a shot at Brooks, who was arrested on suspicion of DUI in March. Brooks answered with an Instagram story of his own.
“Thanks (Mat) for cleaning up that stench in the locker room before I came #culture,” Brooks posted.
Brooks said he felt compelled to respond because Durant’s post crossed a line by bringing someone else into the exchange.
“If you got beef or you want to have a conversation with somebody in particular, don’t bring up nobody else. You know what I’m saying?”
Brooks said. “And that just goes to show the little fake accounts and all that (expletive), talking back and forth, and blah, blah, blah.
So, I’d rather do it on my real account.”
“Even though I don’t have a fake account. I’m going to do it on my real account. And you’re gonna throw some subliminals, I’m gonna throw subliminals back.”
Brooks, who came to Phoenix as part of the package the Suns (2-5) received from Houston (7-2) in the Durant deal last summer, has never been shy about bringing an edge. Against former teams, that edge usually shows up even more.
Now he says the Durant comments only sharpened it further.
“For me, I’m not laying down to nobody saying nothing, especially a player,” Brooks said. “Media is one thing.
A player speaking on my name, about something that happened to me. I wouldn’t speak on him if it happened to him as well.
Anyways, it’s just going to build the juice up and I can’t wait.”
In Other News...
Suns Could Create A Bigger Problem Chasing Domantas Sabonis
A move for Domantas Sabonis would give Phoenix the kind of offensive hub it has been missing, and on paper it is easy to see why the idea has traction. He would bring passing, scoring and a different layer to the Suns half-court attack, which has been a recurring issue as the roster has tried to find a cleaner way to generate good looks.
But any chase for Sabonis comes with a familiar warning for this team: the defense could get even shakier. The Suns already have real problems on that end, and adding a center whose limitations there are well known would put more pressure on the rest of the roster to cover for him. If Dillon Brooks has to be part of the deal, Phoenix would also be giving up one of its more useful defensive pieces, which only makes the fit harder to sort out. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Starting Oso Ighodaro Says A Lot About Their Bigger Dilemma
The Suns decision to start Oso Ighodaro against the Orlando Magic said plenty about where this roster is right now. It was a move built on practicality as much as patience, with Ighodaro giving Phoenix a steadier presence in the starting group while the team continues sorting out how best to handle its frontcourt future. His defensive impact has already shown up in the numbers, and the sense around him is that there is still room for more growth.
Khaman Maluach is part of the same conversation, only from a very different stage of development. His long-term upside is the reason he matters, but the Suns are still asking him to bridge a gap that Ighodaro can cover more comfortably today. For a team trying to balance immediate stability with future projection, the choice to lean on Ighodaro underscores how much work remains before Maluach can be counted on for the same kind of nightly role. [Read more 🡒]
Rockets Face A Frontcourt Test As Suns Tension Adds More Heat
The Suns head into their matchup with Houston with a little more clarity on the injury front, even if the frontcourt picture still carries some bite. Jordan Goodwin will sit with a calf injury, while Rasheer Fleming is available despite an ankle concern, leaving Phoenix to manage its rotation as it continues to lean on defense and the kind of steady improvement head coach Jordan Ott has been preaching.
On the other side, the Rockets are dealing with bigger absences inside, with Steven Adams and Clint Capela both out and their big-man rotation thinned out for the night. That puts even more attention on the competitive edge expected between Dillon Brooks and Kevin Durant, a matchup that should give this game a little extra heat even before the final result comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]