Los Angeles Lakers drill Memphis Grizzlies
THE STRAIT TIMES – The Dillon Brooks-LeBron James sideshow took center stage as the Memphis Grizzlies forward was ejected for a shot to the groin of the Los Angeles Lakers star early in the second half on Saturday.
Anthony Davis dominated with 31 points, 17 rebounds and three blocked shots to lead the Lakers to a solid 111-101 home victory over the Grizzlies in Game 3 as the 2020 champions took a 2-1 lead in the tense National Basketball Association first-round play-off series.
Brooks was ejected after drawing a flagrant 2 foul for delivering a blow to the groin area of James 17 seconds into the second half.
James writhed in pain on the floor after the contact. The officiating crew reviewed the play, which occurred in the backcourt, before determining it met the criteria for a flagrant 2, which comes with an automatic ejection.
The incident comes three nights after Brooks ripped the 38-year-old James, calling the NBA’s all-time leading scorer “old” and saying his level of play has dropped.
“He’s not at the same level that he was when he was on Cleveland winning championships, or Miami,” Brooks said of James, after Memphis won Game 2 on Wednesday.
“I wish I got to see that. It would have been a harder task, but I’m playing with what I’ve got. Just wear and tear on him throughout a seven-game series and see if he can take it.”
Brooks had a tough outing on Saturday from the outset. He scored seven points on three-of-13 shooting in the first half.
During pre-game warm-ups, James confronted Brooks and gave him an earful.
On that exchange, the Lakers forward, who had 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists, told ESPN, “There was nothing private about it. It was very, very public. I like it that way.”
He added, “This is not my first rodeo. I’ve had this throughout my career with certain individuals. It’s easy.”
Grizzlies star Ja Morant – who posted a game-high 45 points on his return, along with 13 assists and nine rebounds – suggested that his teammate’s past transgressions counted against him at the Crypto.com Arena. No player has had more ejections (three) than Brooks in the 2022-23 season.
He told ESPN, “I felt like he was ejected because of past ejections that was made in games before. I mean, if you look at the play, he was actually reaching for the ball and the crossover.