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Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was ejected in the third quarter of Monday’s 116-113 win over the Phoenix Suns after an incident involving the Suns’ Dillon Brooks and Khaman Maluach. With 10 minutes left in the quarter, Green collided with Maluach and went to the ground. Green got up and pushed the Phoenix big man to the floor, immediately getting whistled for a technical. Green then got into an argument with Brooks and was assessed another technical foul upon a video review, which also resulted in a technical on Brooks. “He lit a fire in all of us and we had to respond,” Warriors star Stephen Curry said after the game. “So I’m glad we did. It was a combination of that moment and we got to have our brother’s back when he defends us. But it was also this is one of those games, most of the guys are on a back to back. Phoenix had been off for a couple days … definitely that moment kept us in the moment.”
The respect Smart immediately had for Udoka, because of his direct and sometimes harsh approach, was mutual. In many ways, the two of them are alike. They take pride in their toughness, their defiance, their resilience and, above all, their insatiable desire to win. So, once they had a chance to reunite in Houston five years after their only season together and finish what they started, it was a no-brainer for both. The pair, reunited, face their old team, the Celtics, Monday night. With the Rockets at 6-1 and Smart serving as a key reserve so far, the reunion is going well. “I thought he was a perfect fit who addresses a lot of what we were missing,” Udoka said in a one-on-one interview with The Athletic late last week. “I thought we lacked a little depth at point guard, and he brings that defensive identity. We still have high-level defenders, but he brings that edge and toughness and tone-setting that Dillon (Brooks) brought to us before he left the building.”
“There are some guys who have that defensive mentality, but it’s rare to have a guy who comes into the game and impacts it the way he does on that side of the ball,” Udoka said. “You saw it with Dillon, you saw it with Pat (Beverley). There are certain guys you have to prepare for because of what they do defensively. He’s one of them.” “(Udoka’s) mentality matched mine,” Smart added. “He allowed me to be me without any persecution.”
Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks was ejected Friday night in a 127-120 loss to the Denver Nuggets for kicking Jamal Murray in the groin. Brooks attempted a turnaround jumper in the third quarter with Murray guarding, and when Brooks fell backward, he kicked his right leg forward, making contact with Murray. Brooks was called for an offensive foul, and Murray was writhing in pain on the court for a few moments before eventually getting up and staying in the game. The officials reviewed the play and upgraded the foul to a flagrant 2, which is an automatic ejection. Murray, who finished with 39 points, said postgame that he didn't believe the kick was intentional and that he and Brooks are "buddies." They are teammates on the Canadian national team. "No, of course not," Murray said. "He's shooting the ball. I mean, he might have flopped a little bit, but I don't think he's really trying to kick me in the [groin]."
Dillon Brooks: “Refs talk and I think they have like a list of floppers. I think OKC flops a lot, but they don’t get called for it because they got a pedigree. But when Ziaire gets called for it, he’s known as a flopper. It’s all pick and choose, and you got to realize that refs are human, they’re not robots, so they’re going to see what they see and call what they call.”
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Duane Rankin: Dillon Brooks on what Suns looked clean up from Wednesday's 41-point road loss to Blazers in opener for Saturday's game vs. Warriors: "Communication. Energy. Togetherness. Feel like we got spread out away from each other, we weren't talking as much. We weren't stopping the bleeding. It's not good that it's the first game, but overall, you know, it's not like Game 50 or we're in a predicament with (playoff) seeding or whatever it is. It's good for us to get slapped in the mouth like that from that team and we're going to learn from it." #Suns
Etienne Catalan: 2-way contract Oscar Tshiebwe (@Oscartshiebwe34) will wear No. 9 for the #Rockets. Number last worn by Dillon Brooks in 2025. #NBA
ClutchPoints: “I kind of just threw money at the problem... Bringing in super talented players like Kevin Durant doesn't necessarily lead to championships." Matt Ishbia acknowledges that acquiring Kevin Durant was the wrong decision 👀 (via @CNBCSport) ClutchPoints: “Thanks Matt for cleaning up that stench in the locker room before I came #culture” -Dillon Brooks 👀 (via Dillonbrooks24 /IG)
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Duane Rankin: Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks said he's playing tonight against the Utah Jazz in their final preseason game. "I'm playing. I'm playing against Jaren Jackson. So I'm playing." Brooks and Jackson Jr. were teammates in Memphis. Jackson Jr. with Jazz now. #Suns
Duane Rankin: Devin Booker, Jalen Green, Miles Bridges, Dillon Brooks, Collin Gillespie and Oso Ighodaro didn't participate in the full morning shootaround and aren't expected to play in tonight's preseason game against San Antonio. Suns have one final preseason game Friday vs. Utah Jazz at home. #Suns
Dillon Brooks: "For me it was tough at first because I think it was messing up our whole team camaraderie chemistry when I was in Memphis. So I didn't really like want to be the villain or whatever the case may be. But then slowly when I started playing better and understanding that it can be put into a box and you can grab it when you need it. It's like the muse when Kobe talks about."
Duane Rankin: "He goes really early, but I go close to when the clock is about to end when I'm just done shooting. That's where I stand for the national anthem." Collin Gillespie on standing beside Dillon Brooks when Brooks is staring before games. "A lot of people laugh at him and he's really locked in and in the zone where he doesn't notice." #Suns
