Report: Dillon Brooks won't be suspended for LeBron James low blow in Grizzlies-Lakers Game 3
Memphis Grizzlies wing Dillon Brooks was assessed a flagrant two foul and ejected Saturday night for hitting Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James in the groin. The NBA reviewed Brooks' actions and determined there was no need for an additional penalty, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Brooks exited the game with 7 points on 3-of-13 shooting in 19 minutes. James collapsed from the low blow. Still, he was able to contribute 25 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists to the Lakers' 111-101 first-round playoff win.
Flagrant 2 foul assessed to Dillon Brooks for hitting LeBron below the belt.
Brooks has been ejected from the game.pic.twitter.com/Grd03xXZyy— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 23, 2023
The NBA's ruling on Brooks comes after Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was suspended one game for stomping on Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis in Game 2 of their first-round series.
Green and Brooks' similar pasts
The NBA specifically cited Green's history of "unsportsmanlike acts" when it opted to levy a Game 3 suspension after he was ejected.
Speaking about the suspension for the first time on his "Draymond Green Show" podcast, Green implied he was suspended primarily because of his infamous groin kick in the 2016 NBA Finals. Green wasted no time in his return from the Game 3 suspension, picking up a technical foul in his first minute played of Game 4 on Sunday.
However, Green's rap sheet goes beyond that one instance — something he and Brooks have in common.
Under NBA rules, a player or coach is automatically suspended without pay for one game once they receive their 16th technical foul during a regular season.
Green was suspended one game without pay for receiving his 16th technical foul of this season on March 16, when he bounced the ball off of Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook's head. He ended the regular season with 17 technical fouls.
Brooks was suspended one game without pay for receiving his 18th technical foul of this season on March 21. With that foul, he ended the regular season as the league leader for technicals.
Brooks has shown plenty of unsportsmanlike conduct in just the past few months. In February, Brooks was suspended for instigating an on-court altercation with the Cleveland Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell by striking him in the groin area. A month later, he was fined $35,000 for shoving a photographer.
Last postseason, he was suspended following his flagrant two foul on Warriors guard Gary Payton II in the Western Conference semifinals. Brooks swiped his arm across Payton's head on a transition layup. Payton, who took a hard fall, was diagnosed with a fractured left elbow.
While it's hard to spot what makes Green's history more concerning than Brooks,' the NBA views them differently. He'll be back in action when the Grizzlies look to even the series with the Lakers during Game 4.
