Dillon Brooks didn’t sound rattled by the ejection that cut short his night against the Denver Nuggets on Friday. If anything, the Phoenix Suns forward treated it like another chapter in a long-running conversation about how officials see him.
Brooks didn’t speak immediately after the game, but he later addressed the call with AZCentral’s Duane Rankin before Monday’s matchup. His explanation leaned straight into the idea that his reputation is working against him.
“It just goes to what I’ve been saying for years and years that the refs have this mindset on me because the rule is that it’s got to be intentional,” he said before Monday’s game.
“So, you’re going in my mind to tell me I’m intentionally hitting one of my best friends in the NBA, and I don’t have too many. That’s just weird to me and they went and looked back at it three times.
So, it’s whatever. At least I’m not suspended.”
The play itself was ruled excessive and unnecessary, though it didn’t look deliberate. Brooks was turning for a jump shot when he stuck his foot out, the kind of movement players often make to create landing space. In this case, though, the contact came after the shot rather than as part of any obvious attempt to draw it.
Jordan Ott pointed out another wrinkle: Brooks and Jamal Murray are national team teammates who have known each other for years, and Brooks has also said Murray is one of his close friends in the league. That made the whole sequence feel even less like something calculated.
Brooks will be available Monday against the Golden State Warriors, and he’ll try to bring back the production from Friday without the early exit. He scored 22 points in 21 minutes before the ejection.
In Other News...
Suns Finally Get A Chance To Look Whole Against Warriors
For the first time in a while, the Suns are heading into a game with something close to a full deck. Mark Williams is the only player listed out ahead of the matchup with the Warriors, and Oso Ighodaro is back after missing time with an oblique strain and even got into the recent loss to the Nuggets. It is the kind of roster update Phoenix has been waiting for, especially after spending stretches piecing together lineups and trying to keep the rotation steady.
Collin Gillespie has already pointed to Ighodaros return as a lift for the way the team plays, which makes this a useful chance for Phoenix to see what the group can look like when it is closer to whole. The timing matters too, because the Warriors are the sort of opponent that can expose any lingering chemistry issues. For the Suns, this is less about one night and more about finally getting a clearer read on what the team can be when the availability report is mostly clean. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Get A Huge Boost For A Tough Suns Test
The Suns are about to see a much different Golden State team than the one they faced in the first meeting. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Brandon Podziemski are all available this time, giving the Warriors a major lift as they come in riding a four-game winning streak and trying to keep their offense rolling against a Phoenix group that has generally had a cleaner injury report.
For Phoenix, the challenge is less about availability and more about matching up with a healthier, sharper opponent. Golden State still has several players out or questionable, but the return of its top names changes the tenor of the matchup, especially for a Suns defense that will be tested by one of the leagues more dangerous attacks. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Already Face A Defensive Problem That Could Change Everything
The early returns have been rough for the Suns, and not just because of the 1-3 start. Through four games, Phoenix has given up 122 points or more every time out, a stretch that has put the defense under an immediate spotlight and left Dillon Brooks calling it the leagues worst. The problems have not been hard to spot, either, with rotations breaking down, switching coverages looking shaky and too many lapses away from the ball.
Phoenix has already spent practice time trying to clean it up, but the issues have carried into games anyway. For a team trying to settle into a rhythm, the defensive slippage is more than a short-term concern, since it is starting to affect the way the Suns play on both ends and forcing questions about which lineups can actually hold up. [Read more 🡒]