The Los Angeles Lakers took down the Phoenix Suns 116-114 at the Mortgage Matchup Center in a drama-filled clash on Sunday. LeBron James and Dillon Brooks were at the center of most of it, and at one point in the third quarter, the former completely lost his cool. An irate James confronted Brooks for slapping the ball at him, forcing referee Scott Twardoski to rush in to try to ensure the situation didn’t escalate.
Twardoski’s presence did little to calm James down, though. The 40-year-old yelled at the referee and also grabbed him as he raged over what Brooks had done. James was given a technical foul for his outburst, but some believed he should have been ejected for making contact with Twardoski.
Crew Chief Tyler Ford was asked about the incident in the Pool Report interview, and he made it clear they didn’t think James did much wrong there.
Question: “Early in the third, LeBron took issue with the call and it appeared he made contact with a referee. Was that reviewed at any point?”
Ford: “During instant replay review, we have the ability to review all unsportsmanlike acts. There was no unsportsmanlike act observed for making contact with a referee.”
That is quite interesting. James stayed in the game and finished the night with 26 points (8-17 FG), three rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks. It was a fine showing, but he did struggle to hold on to the ball, as the Suns forced him into eight turnovers, a season-high.
As for Brooks, his night ended a bit earlier than he’d have wanted. He had received a technical foul in the first quarter and was ejected upon receiving his second with 12.2 seconds remaining in the game.
Brooks lost his cool after James committed what looked like a rather blatant foul by barging into him as he made the three-pointer that gave the Suns a 114-113 lead. The officials didn’t call a foul, however, adding to his frustration. An irritated Brooks then angrily confronted James for the hit and bumped into him, which sealed his fate.
It was a big mistake on Brooks’ part and might well have cost the Suns the game. James spoke about the physicality between them postgame and claimed it was just two competitors going at each other.
Brooks recorded 18 points (6-9 FG), one rebound, and one steal in this loss that dropped the Suns to 14-12 this season. They have now lost three of their last four and take on the Golden State Warriors next at Mortgage Matchup Center on Thursday at 9 PM ET.
As for the Lakers, they improved to 18-7 with the win and face off against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center on Thursday at 9 PM ET.
