Dillon Brooks, the forward for the Houston Rockets, was hit with his 16th technical foul of the season. In light of this incident, he will be subject to a mandatory one-game suspension. The incident that triggered this penalty occurred during the first quarter of the Rockets’ recent victory over the Utah Jazz, where they won 143-105. While Brooks was trying to post up Utah guard Collin Sexton, Brooks got called for a tech.
At the time of the incident, Brooks had extended his right leg during play, which accidentally appeared to connect with Sexton’s groin area. The impact left Sexton doubled over in pain, forcing officials to stop the game. After a short review of the play on a courtside monitor referee Tony Brothers decided to call a technical foul. He said it was a good foul for the situation.
This most recent technical foul was only three days removed from Brooks getting ejected from a game against the Phoenix Suns. The ejection came after a short scuffle with fellow player Kevin Durant. This was just the latest example of Brooks’ provocative and polarizing on-court behavior this season.
Brooks has been a steady engine behind the Rockets’ success this season. Although he’s been disciplined, suspended and otherwise disciplined, he still averages 13.9 points, 3.7 assists and 1.7 rebounds a game. During the most recent game against the Jazz, he scored 21 points and recorded two rebounds. His contributions carried them to their first postseason appearance since the 2019-20 campaign.
For his part, Brooks is optimistic that the league will overturn his most recent technical foul. If all goes to plan, he’ll be good to go for his debut against the Oklahoma City Thunder this Friday. If that terrible decision is allowed to remain, he will now be missing this critical home match.
“Usually, those things are [considered] flagrants, and I guess [Brothers] misspoke,” – Dillon Brooks
In light of these events, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka commented on the situation, defending Brooks by stating, “I don’t think it was an intentional kick.” Other teammates echo the feeling that Brooks establishes the team’s culture. Atop that second group, they view him with 2023-vintage, but veteran, point guard Fred VanVleet as the strong driver.
Meanwhile, the Rockets are preparing for what comes next. They need to address this unforeseen blow while continuing to work to improve upon some of their recent accomplishments. The potential absence of Brooks could pose challenges for their offensive strategy and overall team dynamics against a competitive Thunder squad.
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