Dillon Brooks takes lead, costs Suns game in emblematic fashion vs. Lakers

There aren’t many basketball players on Earth who can swing a game as radically as Dillon Brooks.

If there was one play that could define the Phoenix Suns wing’s polarizing time in the NBA, the final few seconds against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday may take the cake.

With time running out in a one-possession game, Brooks both nearly won his team the game and outright lost it for them with a single shot.

It was nearly the stuff of miracles for the Suns, who had rallied back from a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit and were in full control of the momentum.

Down two, Suns forward Ryan Dunn stuffed Marcus Smart on a drive to the rim, Devin Booker corralled the rebound, took it the other way, missed a pull-up jumper but grabbed the rebound and sent it out to Brooks behind the arc. The rest was history.

Brooks gave the Suns a 114-113 lead with 12.2 to go, knocking down a three-pointer over bitter rival LeBron James. He then decided to talk some smack to James as he was walking back down the court — a typical Brooks decision — but took it an extra step by bumping the 41-year-old with his shoulder, drawing a technical foul.

Not only did the technical foul give the Lakers free looks from the charity stripe, but it also disqualified Brooks for the remainder of the game after he picked up his second tech on the night.

He wound up finishing the game with 18 points on six-of-nine shooting and four-of-seven from deep.

Though James missed the technical free throw, the Lakers wound up taking the lead after Booker fouled James with three seconds to go, giving him three attempts at the line, to which he sank two and gave his team a one-point lead.

It’s not the first time the Rexdale, Ont., born Brooks has gotten into heat while playing against James and the Lakers. “Dillon the Villain” gave James a taste of his patented shoulder shrug in their first matchup of the year on Dec. 1.

The players’ rivalry peaked during a first-round series in 2023, when Brooks challenged James ahead of the playoff round before they went back-and-forth with barbs and staredowns throughout the six-game tilt.

After saying “I poke bears,” Brooks was ejected in Game 3 for a flagrant foul against James, and his Grizzlies — despite being the No. 2 seed — were eventually eliminated by the Lakers, with Brooks bearing the brunt of blame from fans and management.