Lakers slam Rocket for trash talk

After suffering a 135-119 defeat to the Houston Rockets on Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers redirected their focus towards Dillon Brooks, criticizing the Rockets forward for what they deemed as dangerous plays jeopardizing the safety of LeBron James and Jarred Vanderbilt.

Brooks was involved in two incidents that resulted in Vanderbilt’s ejection during the second quarter. Subsequently, in the fourth quarter, he struck LeBron James in the face during a play under the basket. The Lakers believed these incidents warranted Brooks’ ejection, but he was only assessed a flagrant foul for the hit on James.

In the initial incident with Vanderbilt, Brooks pushed the Lakers forward while airborne during a layup attempt, causing Vanderbilt to fall hard on the court. After a referee review, Brooks was called for a foul. In a subsequent play, Brooks nudged Vanderbilt in the back as they went for a rebound, leading to a technical foul for Vanderbilt. Before play resumed, Vanderbilt poked Brooks in the ear, resulting in his second technical foul and subsequent ejection.

The Lakers asserted that Brooks’ initial foul played a role in Vanderbilt’s reactions.

Anthony Davis, who contributed 23 points and seven rebounds, commented, “I mean, he’s going for a wide-open dunk, and he just pushed him in the back. It’s not a safe play. Guys get hurt like that. And you got to know what type of player he is. You kind of let that just keep going on, and he kind of provoked it. He talks and says whatever he wants to the refs, to players, and at the end of the day, we’re men. No man is going to talk towards another man the way he was talking to Vando. So, Vando did what he had to do.”

Several Lakers players claimed that Brooks used inappropriate language towards Vanderbilt, crossing a line that they found unacceptable.

“I feel like he may feel like I did a dirty play,” Brooks responded when questioned by reporters.

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James and Brooks have a history dating back to Brooks’ time with the Memphis Grizzlies. In the Lakers-Grizzlies playoff series last year, Brooks referred to James as “old” and mentioned that he doesn’t respect anyone until they give him 40 points.

During the recent game, the verbal exchanges between the two escalated in the fourth quarter. The situation reached a boiling point when Brooks smacked James in the eye, causing him to fall to the court. Following a referee review, Brooks received a flagrant foul penalty-one.

James, who had an impressive performance with 23 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds, leading the Lakers to narrow the deficit to 10 points after trailing by 30 in the second half, was not interested in discussing Brooks. When asked about crediting Brooks for his competitiveness, James promptly dismissed the question, saying, “Next question.”

However, Anthony Davis didn’t hold back when expressing his opinion on whether Brooks had crossed the line with his actions towards Vanderbilt and James.

“Yeah, both. I mean, you take a hard foul. That’s part of basketball, but you are just not going to blatantly push someone in their back when they have no control of their body and they are in the air,” Davis remarked. “And he should have gotten ejected for that. And then you know him and Bron have their whatever and from what I saw it was just a blatant hit to LeBron to his face. So, the refs saw it differently. It is what it is, though.”

Lakers coach Darvin Ham voiced support for Vanderbilt, asserting that Brooks endangered players with certain plays that could lead to injuries.

“I just reviewed it before coming in here. [Brooks] pushes [Vanderbilt] in the back, a guy who’s in the air, airborne, defenseless,” Ham explained. “Then there’s Bron’s play. Bron goes to the basket, and it’s a double move with his arms. One arm attempts to deflect the ball, and it ends up going across his face. So, maybe Dillon Brooks shouldn’t have been in the game either. But it’s unfortunate. I salute and tip my hat to Vando for standing up for his teammate, himself, and his team. It is what it is.”

Following the loss that brought the Lakers back to a .500 record at 24-24, LeBron James, when questioned about playing in the upcoming game against Atlanta on Tuesday, confirmed his intention to play.

“Yeah, I plan on playing,” James stated.

Regarding Anthony Davis, who has been dealing with a groin issue, he mentioned feeling “a little sore” after the game. Davis explained that this was part of the reason he didn’t return to play during the Lakers’ late fourth-quarter push.

“Yeah, I just couldn’t move how I usually move — both ends of the floor,” Davis said.

When asked about playing in the upcoming game against Atlanta, Davis expressed uncertainty, saying, “I don’t know.”