'You Got to Know the Player He Is!' Dillon Brooks Scuffles with Lakers, LeBron James in Rockets Win

Dillon Brooks and his physical playstyle helped propel the Houston Rockets over the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Houston Rockets are celebrating after beating the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, 134-119. With the win, Houston managed to split the season series against the Lakers, 2-2. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and D’Angelo Russell all scored 23 points, but it wasn’t enough to match Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, who both notched more than 30 points.

However, the main talking point of the game was not the continued success of Green, who has reemerged as an elite scoring option, but rather the way Dillon Brooks stole the show. Brooks successfully goaded Jarred Vanderbilt into an ejection and landed a hard foul on James while going for a rebound.

Rockets forward Dillon Brooks reacts toward Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James after scoring a basket during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

After the game, noted adversary of physical play Davis did not mince words. “He was going for a wide-open dunk, and he pushed him in the back,” Davis said of Brooks’ defense on Vanderbilt. Later in the half, Brooks baited Vanderbilt under the rim.

According to postgame reports, Brooks called Vanderbilt a “p*ssy,” which didn’t garner a great reaction.

“You got to know what type of player he is. [The refs] 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,” Davis said. “No man is going to talk towards another man the way he was talking to Vando. So, Vando did what he had to do."

Jarred Vanderbilt was ejected after getting into it with Dillon Brooks pic.twitter.com/EsciY2A7rI

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 30, 2024

It wasn’t just Vanderbilt who was on the receiving end of Brooks’ physical playstyle. In the fourth quarter, Brooks was issued a flagrant foul for going over James’ back and making contact with his face while going for a rebound. After the game, James didn’t entertain any questions on the matter.

Regardless of the Lakers’ rationale, Vanderbilt got ejected after seven minutes of play, and Brooks’ 17 points and solid shooting propelled Houston to a win. 

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Brooks promised Houston that he doesn’t care what opponents (and media!) think, issuing a statement after his very first game in a Rockets’ uniform. “What’s my name? The name is ‘Dillon the Villain,’” he said after his preseason debut ended in an ejection.

His playstyle has not changed, and Rockets faithful are rapidly embracing the bad boy of the NBA.