Watch: Dillon Brooks takes a cheap shot at LeBron James and draws Flagrant 1
LeBron James took a scary fall in the fourth quarter during the LA Lakers vs Houston Rockets showdown at the Toyota Center on Monday night. The 4x NBA champion was hit on the head by Dillon Brooks and went down. James was visibly unhappy with the Rockets forward's move and the latter was assessed with a flagrant foul. The result however was a Lakers loss in their first of a five-game away stretch. They were trounced 135-119 by Houston and are now 24-24.
With James going for a layup, Brooks was right behind the Lakers forward and came down attempting to block the shot, while hitting the 39-year-old flush on the head.
James expressed his anger, and while Brooks was indeed slapped with a flagrant foul, he was not ejected from the game. James had 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 10 assists on the game front. James, along with Anthony Davis (23 points, 7 rebounds) and D'Angelo Russell (23 points) did the chunk of the scoring for LA.
Rockets rode on Jalen Green's 34 points with 12 rebounds, while Alperen Sengun chipped in with 31 points and 12 rebounds. Jabari Smith Jr. had 18 to show for.
The game wasn't without drama as Jarred Vanderbilt quickly had two technical fouls after a heated exchange with Brooks. He shoved him in the chest first and followed it up poking him in the side of the head. Without his defense, the Lakers failed to contain the Rockets' pace.
LeBron James intends to be available for the clash against Hawks
Following their loss to the Rockets on Monday night, LeBron James and LA head to Atlanta to face the Hawks on the second night of their back-to-back fixtures. While the consensus would be one of the star players taking the day off, James said he intends to be available.
James clocked 37 minutes against Houston. However, such has been the Purple and Gold's "one step forward, and one two steps back" run that it's no surprise the former MVP wants to suit up for the back-to-back. On his part, Davis has been a regular show in the side as well despite battling ankle and groin issues.
Despite LeBron James' consistency and solid two-way play, LA has struggled this season. They next face Atlanta Hawks, a side that has one of their most coveted targets in Dejounte Murray. Only time will tell if the Lakers can pull off a win and improve their road game stretch numbers.