"Called Vanderbilt a 'p***y' during the exchange" - NBA Insider reveals what instigated Dillon Brooks & Jarred Vanderbilt scuffle
Dillon Brooks may not be an All-Star, but he is an All-Star-level antagonizer. He was up to his old tricks once again during the Houston Rockets’ 135-119 win over the LA Lakers. The player got into it with Jarred Vanderbilt, who was ejected following the scuffle while Brooks remained in the game.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that a Lakers player informed him of some of the words exchanged during the run-in. Brooks even threw some insults towards Vanderbilt.
“A Lakers player told ESPN that Brooks called Vanderbilt a ‘p***y’ during the exchange,” McMenamin wrote.
The exchange between the two wasn't subtle as they were underneath the hoop, battling for a rebound. Vanderbilt returned a shove from Brooks, who then began insulting Vanderbilt. The Lakers forward made a soft swipe at Brooks’ head, missing the target, and was then ejected for the move.
After the game, Brooks made his own comments, saying that he didn't see any fault on his side:
“I feel like he may feel like I did a dirty play,” Dillon Brooks said. “When he feels that way, he likes to bump. It’s basketball. We bump and tussle. I feel like he took it a little too far.”
The Lakers players and staff were on Vanderbilt’s side. Coach Darvin Ham questioned after the game why Brooks was not ejected.
Lakers star Anthony Davis also backed up Vanderbilt. He didn't appriciate Brooks’ trash talk and said:
"It's not a safe play. Guys get hurt like that. And you got to know what type of player [Brooks] is. [The refs] kind of let that just keep going on and [Brooks] 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. No man is going to talk towards another man the way he was talking to Vando. So, Vando did what he had to do,” Davis said.
Vanderbilt did not speak after the game. The ejection occurred in the second quarter and was just the beginning of a rough night for the Lake show.
Houston controlled the game the rest of the way. They pushed the lead to as many as 30 points. The Lakers cut it to 16 late in the fourth, but couldn't complete the comeback.
Dillon Brooks hits LeBron James in the face
The beef with Jarred Vanderbilt was not the only altercation Dillon Brooks found himself in on Monday. Late in the game, the player came crashing in for a rebound and hit LeBron James on the face from the back.
James fell to the floor holding his face, and Brooks was given a flagrant 1 foul for the contact after a video review. James cut off any questions about Brooks or the play after the game.
Dillon Brooks was not ejected for either altercation. He finished the game with 17 points, three rebounds and five fouls.