Heading into Game 3 of their matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers with superstar Ja Morant back into the starting lineup had to be a big boost for the Memphis Grizzlies. But you wouldn’t know it from how the away team started the game. After getting smoked 35-9 in the first quarter of play, Dillon Brooks made matters worse just minutes into the third quarter by getting a quick hook from the game.
Of course, Brooks already came into the matchup with plenty of attention on him, having called out LeBron James for being “old” earlier this week. Naturally, James caught win of the comments but didn’t want to give into the off-court chatter, saying he’s not “here for the bull—-,” saying he’d “rather play.”
Well, on Saturday, the two got their chance to put their tension to the test, but Brooks apparently wasn’t up for the challenge.
As mentioned, with 11:43 seconds left in the third quarter, Brooks went to steal the ball from James, when he ended up hitting the Lakers superstar in the groin instead. The referees reviewed the foul and came away convinced that Brooks had committed a Flagrant 2, leading to the ejection of Brooks.
Brooks led the NBA in technical fouls during the regular season, to which the NBA rules official on the ESPN broadcast suggested had no impact on the decision leading to his ejection.