Lakers News: LA Blames Dillon Brooks For Prompting Jarred Vanderbilt Ejection

And for good reason!

Constant Los Angeles Lakers irritant Dillon Brooks was up to his old tricks during his Houston Rockets' 135-119 Monday night victory over LA, in the first night of a back-to-back pair of games for the Lakers.

Brooks twice shoved Jarred Vanderbilt while LA's defense-first forward was in the air during the contest's second quarter. In the first instance, Vanderbilt collapsed onto the ground in obvious pain. In the second, Brooks pushed Vanderbilt in the back. Only after watching replay of the incident was Brooks even assessed for a foul. After the second interaction, an aggravated Vanderbilt responded, receiving two quick technical fouls and an ejection.

Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles writes that Los Angeles players were heated after the bout, blaming Brooks for inciting Vanderbilt's response.

“I mean, he’s going for a wide-open dunk and he just pushed him in the back. It’s not a safe play,” Anthony Davis complained of the second 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.”

A variety of Lakers players aggrieved about the incident.

“I feel like he may feel like I did a dirty play,” Brooks said of Vanderbilt postgame.

LeBron James and Brooks got into a heated confrontation during the bout's fourth quarter. Brooks eventually hit James in the eye, and was somehow only whistled for a flagrant-one and permitted to stay in the game.

The Lakers had trailed by as much as 30 points, but a James-propelled rally in the second half at one point reduced the deficit to just 10 points. He would finish with 23 points, 10 boards and six boards.

“I just watched it again before I came in here. [Brooks] pushes [Vanderbilt] in the back — guy that’s in the air, airborne, defenseless,” head coach Darvin Ham said. “Then Bron’s play. Bron goes to the basket and it’s a double move with his arms. One arm trying to deflect the ball and it goes back and then it goes across his face. So, maybe Dillon Brooks shouldn’t have been in the game, either. But it’s unfortunate. I salute and my hats off to Vando taking up for his teammate. Taking up for himself and his team. So it is what it is.”