Dillon Brooks delivered one of his most memorable performances as he scored 33 points in the Phoenix Suns’ 125-108 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.
Brooks, who has been taunted in Los Angeles since the 2023 playoffs when he said “I poke bears” and called LeBron James “old,” addressed the rivalry throughout the night.
He exchanged words with the crowd, taunted James and repeatedly celebrated baskets with gestures mirroring some of James’s.
“I love playing in this arena,” Brooks said. “They show me a lot of love here and I return the favor.
“I’m a competitor, man. I don’t really like the smiles and the laughs and all that, so I just let them know I’m there. And I keep improving.”
James confronted Brooks during a third-quarter timeout, an exchange Brooks appreciated.
“He likes people to bow,” Brooks said. “I’m not bowing down. So either it attracts him or it aggravates him – either or.”
A dominant performance
Brooks scored 23 of his 33 points in the first half, including 15 in the second quarter, helping Phoenix take a 14-point advantage into the break.
“They wanted me to keep shooting, so I kept shooting,” Brooks said after finishing 15 of 26 from the field. He is averaging a career-high 22.3 points per game.
The Suns were victorious despite Devin Booker leaving after 10 minutes with a strained right groin.
The loss ended the Lakers’ seven-game winning streak and held James to just 10 points, extending his double-digit games streak to 1,297, but only just.
James did not mention Brooks during his postgame media session. But after Brooks backpedaled Bronny James late in the fourth quarter and was called for a shift, the broadcast showed LeBron on the bench making a thumbs-down gesture.
