Houston Rockets Chicago Bulls forward Dillon Brooks and star forward DeMar DeRozan were ejected from Thursday’s Rockets-Bulls game following an on-court altercation. After the game, Houston center Jock Landale humorously called out his veteran teammate to avoid getting kicked out of future games.
During his first six seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, Brooks became renowned as one of the best instigators in the NBA, constantly irritating opponents. His erratic behavior caused him to perpetually rank among the league leaders in technical fouls and receive various fines and suspensions.
However, the veteran wing eventually wore out his welcome, with Memphis opting not to retain him in free agency. That paved the way for the Rockets to acquire him via a four-year sign-and-trade deal worth $86 million.
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As expected, Brooks brought an edge to Houston, helping the young team improve significantly after finishing just 22-60 last season. The Rockets entered Thursday on a season-high six-game winning streak, looking to challenge for one of the last play-in spots in the West.
Brooks and Houston got off to a good start against Chicago. Midway through the third quarter, the 28-year-old led his team in scoring with 23 points on a blistering 76.9% shooting rate. Meanwhile, the Rockets led by nine at home.
However, things changed for Brooks with 6:02 left in the quarter after DeRozan committed a serious foul on his teammate. Green Jalen. Green was starting a play well beyond the 3-point line when the six-time All-Star ran into him, knocking him down.
After calling a foul, the refereeing team immediately requested a review to see if it should be upgraded to a flagrant foul. At that point, Brook stepped in to defend his 22-year-old teammate.
Brooks and DeRozan then engaged in a face-to-face altercation, causing Brooks to trip as other players attempted to separate them.
Afterward, DeRozan was assessed a Flagrant Foul 2 penalty for making “excessive and unnecessary contact” with Green. Meanwhile, Brooks received a technical foul and was ejected for “aggravating the situation.”
Following the incident, the Rockets held on for a 127–117 victory, marking their seventh straight victory, led by Green with a team-high 26 points. Landale also stepped up, recording 17 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two blocks on 60.0% shooting from the bench.
In his postgame interview, the big man used his airtime to send a comedic message to Brooks about his importance to the team.
“Dillon Brooks, if you’re listening, this ain’t Memphis, man,” Landale said. “Stop getting kicked out. We need you here. We need that physicality.
According to Fox Sports, Brooks’ technical foul marked his 13th this season, second-most in the NBA, behind Dallas Mavericks superstar guard Luka Doncic (14).
The league automatically suspends players for one game if they commit 16 technical fouls in a season. Additionally, players receive an additional one-game suspension for two technical fouls committed beyond 16.
So, with 13 games left for Houston, if Brooks isn’t careful, he could be on the verge of being suspended.
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Despite ejection, Dillon Brooks and Rockets move closer to the playing spot
After Thursday’s win over Chicago continued Dillon Brooks ejection, Houston moved closer to a play-in spot. The 11th-ranked Rockets (34-35) trail the 10th-ranked Golden State Warriors (36-32) by just 2.5 games.
In addition to their seven-game winning streak, they went 9-1 in March, including five straight wins without rising star Alperen Segun (ankle).
Over that 10-game span, Houston ranks fourth in offensive rating (119.0) and sixth in defensive rating (109.7).
“It’s good to get back to playing good basketball,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “Now you want to take that momentum and keep tightening the rope and doing a little bit more every game.”
The Rockets will look to extend their season-best winning streak to eight games when they host the Utah Jazz (29-41) on Saturday.
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