<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-draymond-green-ejected-suns-game-2-quick-techs');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors’ Draymond Green ejected from Suns game after 2 quick techs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Draymond-Green-ejected-from-Suns-game-after-2-quick-techs.jpg"><figcaption>John Hefti-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Warriors’ Draymond Green ejected from Suns game after 2 quick techs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-20T19:39:49-08:00">December 20th, 7:39pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-20T19:44:45-08:00">December 20th, 7:44pm</time><address><a>Allan Binoy</a>Allan Binoy is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NCAA Football, and NBA for ClutchPoints. With a deep passion for storytelling and analysis, he brings fans closer to the action by breaking down the biggest moments and storylines across the world of sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It wouldn’t be a Golden State Warriors season without a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-why-draymond-greens-nsfw-turnover-admission-key-solving-turnover-woes">little drama from Draymond Green</a>, and on Saturday night, the veteran forward delivered his first ejection of the 2025-26 campaign.</p><p>In a heated rematch against the Phoenix Suns at the Chase Center, Green was tossed with 10:39 remaining in the second quarter. The sequence began when Green was whistled for a foul after shoving Suns guard Collin Gillespie in the back following a block on the other end. Frustrated by the call, Green unleashed a <a href="https://x.com/BrettSiegelNBA/status/2002563851834019896?s=20" rel="noopener">barrage of complaints</a> at the officiating crew.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Draymond Green has been ejected after his continuous arguing with the officials 👀</p><p>Good or bad call? 🤔<a href="https://t.co/y4SPzJeDKM">pic.twitter.com/y4SPzJeDKM</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/2002564645513802191?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The officials wasted no time, hitting Green with two technical fouls in rapid succession. Despite efforts from teammates and head coach Steve Kerr to intervene, Green was sent to the locker room, ending his night after just nine minutes of action.</p><p>The game was already tense coming in. The two teams had met just two nights prior in Phoenix, a contest that saw the Suns scrape by with a one-point win and featured a flagrant foul by Dillon Brooks on Stephen Curry. Green’s early exit only added fuel to the fire in what has become a chippy Western Conference rivalry.</p><p>Before his departure, Green had tallied four points, three rebounds, one assist, and one block. His absence left a gaping hole in the Warriors’ defensive rotation, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-steve-kerr-commits-starting-lineup-solve-inconsistency">forcing Kerr to rely more heavily</a> on his bench unit to contain Phoenix’s attack.</p><p>While Green’s passion drives Golden State, moments like this walk a fine line between sparking the team and leaving them shorthanded. As he marched off the floor, the “Draymond Experience” was in full effect, loud, unapologetic, and, for tonight, cut short.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors’ Draymond Green ejected from Suns game after 2 quick techs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-jordan-ott-applauds-oso-ighodaro-massive-impact-win-vs-warriors');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns’ Jordan Ott applauds Oso Ighodaro’s ‘massive’ impact on win vs Warriors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Jordan-Ott-applauds-Oso-Ighodaros-massive-impact-on-win-vs-Warriors.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns’ Jordan Ott applauds Oso Ighodaro’s ‘massive’ impact on win vs Warriors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-19T22:00:26-08:00">December 19th, 10:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-19T22:00:26-08:00">December 19th, 10:00pm</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>PHOENIX– Impact can come in all shapes and sizes, especially if you are Oso Ighodaro and you are towering at over seven feet tall. His 13-rebound performance against the Golden State Warriors certainly caught Jordan Ott’s attention throughout the game.</p><p>As a result, the second-year center was placed in the starting lineup, in place of Mark Williams, to close the game. It seemed rather fitting because <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-how-young-hungry-rookies-impressed-devin-booker">Ighodaro fit the Suns’ defensive scheme well</a>.</p><p>The Warriors play a lot of switching on offense and getting their big men out to the perimeter. However, his staunch defense and two arms bear-hugging the ball every time he grabbed a rebound signaled a gritty game.</p><p>When Ott was asked about Ighodaro’s impact, he highlighted all the areas he helped them with.</p><p>“He played a long stretch, I think, in the second half. A little bit of matchup and a little bit of feel,” Ott said postgame. “Quentin Post out there, we would like to switch as much as we can against those guys. Oso (Ighodaro) can play on the perimeter; he obviously helped us on the defensive rebounding.</p><p>“He is a possession gainer; the five steals were massive. We have been on him about taking the ball. Not only switching, but defensively being in front and taking the ball, which he has shown great strength in since the middle of November. So, that was tonight, you never know what will happen the next night. It might be Mark (Williams) the next night. Tonight was Oso’s night.”</p><h2><b>Dillon Brooks knew Oso Ighodaro had this in him</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Oso-Ighodaro.jpg"><figcaption>© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Three months. That’s how long Dillon Brooks said to reporters it took for Ighodaro to snap at him. The lovable big man, who has a knack for being the optimist, screamed at Brooks on the bench <a href="https://x.com/HaydenCilley/status/2001849536021696530?s=20" rel="noopener">midway through the second quarter</a>.</p><p>From that point on, the Marquette center turned it up. More thoughtful possessions, calculated rebounds, and being a defensive threat on the perimeter emphasized a quality game.</p><p>Even as Brooks lit up the stat sheet, Ighodaro did the little things that helped the Suns pull off the win. Regardless, 13 rebounds is a <a href="https://x.com/HaydenCilley/status/2001900546597490857?s=20" rel="noopener">big stepping stone</a>, according to Brooks, but it wasn’t because of the singular statistic.</p><p>“We needed his game today, played big,” Brooks said in the locker room. “Like you said, 13 rebounds, he’s all over the place. Played hard, so we need to do that every single game.</p><p>“If I got to pick on him and yell at him so he can do that every game, I’m going to do everything.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Fun moment with Dillon Brooks and myself: I asked him about Oso Ighodaro’s 13-rebound performance, to which he replied “Finally. He yelled at me.”<a href="https://twitter.com/KellanOlson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KellanOlson</a> followed up and asked if Brooks needs to ask those performances out of Ighodaro or forcing it out of him.</p><p>“It’s the… <a href="https://t.co/T5t4bUfR32">pic.twitter.com/T5t4bUfR32</a></p><p>— Hayden Cilley (@HaydenCilley) <a href="https://twitter.com/HaydenCilley/status/2001900546597490857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Devin Booker saw Oso Ighodaro’s potential from the beginning</b></h2><p>Ighodaro was one of the two players from the 2024-25 iteration of the Suns that excited Devin Booker. He constantly raved about the never-ending motor, athleticism, and pure basketball acumen.</p><p>Fast forward one season, and the sophomore slump might’ve been in effect. But <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-star-historic-52-stat-line-pacers">Ighodaro’s noteworthy performances</a> against the Indiana Pacers and Portland Trail Blazers showed the potential.</p><p>A game like Thursday’s was the ultimate test. It wasn’t a pretty game, as both teams shot under 30% from deep and just under 40% from the field.</p><p>In that environment, being physical, getting the rebounds, and making the smart play will win you the game. It’s something Booker <a href="https://x.com/HaydenCilley/status/2001912482563297609?s=20" rel="noopener">knew all along</a>.</p><p>“He’s been working. He’s put the work in, and it’s his time to show it,” Booker said postgame. “We’ve been seeing it behind the scenes, and I think he’s getting more and more comfortable every game.</p><p>“He gives us the versatility to be able to play five out, play faster, switch a lot of actions. So, I like the dynamic of having Mark (Williams) and him, back and forth.”</p><p>With the Suns set to face the Warriors again on Saturday, Ighodaro’s name might be called on again. If it takes another case of Brooks of getting on him, then a duplicate performance could be on the horizon.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ Jordan Ott applauds Oso Ighodaro’s ‘massive’ impact on win vs Warriors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-devin-booker-trade-jimmy-butler-halted-ex-hc');   ga('set', 'title', 'Devin Booker trade for Jimmy Butler halted by Suns’ ex-HC');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Devin-Booker-of-the-Phoenix-Suns-1.jpg"><figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Devin Booker trade for Jimmy Butler halted by Suns’ ex-HC</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-19T15:50:05-08:00">December 19th, 3:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-19T16:03:13-08:00">December 19th, 4:03pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-devin-booker-100-real-stephen-curry-wearing-shoes">Devin Booker has been the face</a> of the Phoenix Suns franchise since emerging as a star in his second year in the league. However, it sounds like things could have gone differently, as a former head coach claims he stopped the organization from trading Booker away for Jimmy Butler.</p><p>During a guest appearance on “Bucks+ Audio,” former Suns head coach Earl Watson, who coached the team in the 2016-17 season, claims <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/2002155169103163574" rel="noopener">that he prevented</a> former team owner Robert Sarver from trading Booker to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Butler. Watson says that he threatened to resign as head coach immediately if the deal went through. It never went through.</p><p>“I said, ‘If you trade Devin Booker, I am resigning tonight,'” said Watson.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I said, 'If you trade Devin Booker, I am resigning tonight.'"</p><p>Former Suns head coach Earl Watson says he stopped former Suns owner Robert Sarver from trading Devin Booker to the Bulls in exchange for Jimmy Butler 🤯</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/DylanHCarter?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DylanHCarter</a>)</p><p> <a href="https://t.co/qOwreE7b3S">pic.twitter.com/qOwreE7b3S</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/2002155169103163574?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Although Earl Watson was only the head coach for one season, it appears his decision to prevent that Devin Booker trade from coming to fruition remained intact over the next nine years. It also doesn’t seem like the Suns plan on moving Booker anytime soon, as the four-time All-Star is one of the best shooting guards in the league, and the main pillar for the front office to build around.</p><p>But what could have been? The entire layout of the league may have played out differently if Devin Booker and Jimmy Butler swapped places in the 2016-17 season. Booker would have become the new face of the Bulls with Derrick Rose gone to the New York Knicks. Meanwhile, Butler would have had a chance to play as the face of the Suns and could have had a chance to play alongside Chris Paul when he joined Phoenix in 2020.</p><p>In all, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-devin-booker-calls-out-lie-lebron-james-foul">Devin Booker has remained</a> with the franchise and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. This season, he’s proving to be as consistent as he’s ever been, averaging 25.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game while owning a 45.6% field goal percentage and shooting 30.4% from beyond the three-point line.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Devin Booker trade for Jimmy Butler halted by Suns’ ex-HC

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-why-dillon-brooks-become-kendrick-perkins-favorite-nba-players');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Dillon Brooks has become ‘one of’ Kendrick Perkins’ favorite NBA players');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Dillon-Brooks-of-the-Phoenix-Suns.jpg"><figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why Dillon Brooks has become ‘one of’ Kendrick Perkins’ favorite NBA players</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-19T15:32:01-08:00">December 19th, 3:32pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-19T15:32:01-08:00">December 19th, 3:32pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Phoenix Suns are 15-12 on the season and sit in seventh place in the Western Conference. Early on in the season, the team is seemingly playing above expectations, and Kendrick Perkins <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-dillon-brooks-escalates-feud-social-media-lebron-james-airball-diss">credits Dillon Brooks</a> for the team remaining competitive.</p><p>During a segment on “NBA on ESPN,” the former NBA center revealed that Brooks is <a href="https://x.com/ESPNNBA/status/2002138845555433860" rel="noopener">one of his favorite players</a> in the league right now. Perkins is ultimately impressed by the 29-year-old guard/forward for the leadership he’s bringing to the Suns.</p><p>“No one expected the Phoenix Suns to be where they are,” said Perkins. “I believe they’re in the seven spot right now, and it’s because of Dillon ‘The Villain.’ Dillon Brooks, who has become one of my favorite players in the NBA. And this guy, just winning, winning follows this man.</p><p>“Memphis hasn’t been the same since he left. We watched him last year help develop that culture with the Houston Rockets, and now he’s bringing something that the Phoenix Suns hadn’t had since they got rid of [Chris Paul], and that’s leadership.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"No one expected the Phoenix Suns to be where they are I believe they're in the seventh spot right now, and it's because of Dillon 'the Villain'."<a href="https://twitter.com/KendrickPerkins?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KendrickPerkins</a> on how impressed he's been with Dillon Brooks on the Suns ✍️ <a href="https://t.co/heZlWiqfbf">pic.twitter.com/heZlWiqfbf</a></p><p>— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/2002138845555433860?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Brooks has played in 21 of the Suns’ 27 games so far this season and is experiencing what might be a career year in Phoenix. He’s emerged as one of the top scoring options for the team, while retaining his defensive presence and tenacity on the court.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-dillon-brooks-revenge-fueled-reason-loves-playing-stephen-curry">Dillon Brooks is entering Saturday’s game</a> against the Golden State Warriors, averaging 21.7 points (career-high), 3.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.4 steals (career-high) per game. He’s also shooting 44.8% from the field (career-high) and 32.9% from beyond the three-point line.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Dillon Brooks has become ‘one of’ Kendrick Perkins’ favorite NBA players

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-devin-booker-100-real-stephen-curry-wearing-shoes');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns’ Devin Booker gets 100% real on Stephen Curry wearing his shoes');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Devin-Booker-and-Stephen-Curry.jpg"><figcaption>© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Suns’ Devin Booker gets 100% real on Stephen Curry wearing his shoes</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-18T23:46:26-08:00">December 18th, 11:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-18T23:46:26-08:00">December 18th, 11:46pm</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>PHOENIX– Devin Booker and Stephen Curry are extreme competitors on the court, but the respect they’ve grown for one another is something else.</p><p>Ever since the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors star played in the 2024 Olympics, the relationship has grown. After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-devin-booker-silence-steve-kerr-unprompted-team-usa-mvp-praise">Booker was named the unsung MVP</a> of those Olympics, Curry was the one who stole the show.</p><p>But for the Suns star, playing against one of his idols is something he won’t take for granted. And as Curry is a free agent in the shoe market after ending his deal with Under Armour, Booker sent him a pair of his newest sneaker, the Book 2’s.</p><p>Seeing Curry <a href="https://x.com/HaydenCilley/status/2001891645391032327?s=20" rel="noopener">wear them</a> left Booker in awe</p><p>“It’s truly hard to put into words,” Booker said postgame. “Thinking back to the Olympics and being able to share the floor with him and not just the floor, but getting to know each other off the court, too.</p><p>Building a relationship that will last a lifetime with somebody I idolized my whole life. So for it to come full circle and him to be competing against me in my shoe, if anything, I thought it’d be the other way around. Truly crazy.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Devin Booker shared more postgame on Steph Curry wearing his new signature shoe.</p><p>“Building a relationship that will last a lifetime with somebody I idolize my whole life. So for it to come full circle and for him to be competing against me in my shoe, I thought it’d be the other… <a href="https://t.co/dnMwcfvn1t">pic.twitter.com/dnMwcfvn1t</a></p><p>— Hayden Cilley (@HaydenCilley) <a href="https://twitter.com/HaydenCilley/status/2001891645391032327?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Devin Booker could send Stephen Curry to Nike</b></h2><p>The joke in that press conference room was that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/is-stephen-curry-hinting-at-joining-nike-after-under-armour-split">Booker is trying to recruit Curry to Nike</a>, which the Phoenix star responded; 100%.</p><p>But this isn’t just about landing the hottest free agent on the sneaker market. It’s about a <a href="https://x.com/DuaneRankin/status/2001911864838832367?s=20" rel="noopener">relationship of trust and respect</a>, rooted in the game of basketball.</p><p>Competition aside, it is a big move for whatever Curry decides to make his next sneaker partner. For Booker to offer his newest sneakers in a custom Warriors color-way is cool to see.</p><p>He’ll have one more chance to impress on Saturday, as the Suns will travel to the Bay and take on Golden State. Perhaps then, more Book sneakers can entice Curry to make a decision on a new sneaker deal.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ Devin Booker gets 100% real on Stephen Curry wearing his shoes

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-dillon-brooks-revenge-fueled-reason-loves-playing-stephen-curry');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dillon Brooks’ revenge-fueled reason why he loves playing Stephen Curry');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Dillon-Brooks-and-Stephen-Curry.jpg"><figcaption>© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Dillon Brooks’ revenge-fueled reason why he loves playing Stephen Curry</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-18T23:30:03-08:00">December 18th, 11:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-18T23:30:03-08:00">December 18th, 11:30pm</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>PHOENIX– Revenge is a dish best served with a win, if you’re Dillon Brooks. After the Phoenix Suns took down the Golden State Warriors 99-98 in dramatic fashion, it felt like <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/a-brief-history-of-wild-lebron-james-dillon-brooks-feud">another vintage Brooks performance</a>.</p><p>He finished the game with 24 points and consistently posed a threat throughout. The tenacious defense, microwave scoring, and ability to turn a game upside down have been what the Suns wanted.</p><p>However, he has had some extra motivation over the past handful of games. On Thursday, it happened to be Stephen Curry. The latter only had 15 points compared to Brooks’s 24.</p><p>Still, the latter made his presence known with his physicality. While some might’ve thought he went overboard, he’s <a href="https://x.com/HaydenCilley/status/2001890166924021934?s=20" rel="noopener">out to prove something</a> when playing against the league’s best.</p><p>“Those teams had my number for a while in the big stages,” Brooks said postgame. “I’m trying to get to the big stage and perform there. These are just games to get to this point, or get to that point in the future.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">I asked Dillon Brooks why he enjoys playing against guys like Steph Curry so much.</p><p>“Those teams had my number for a while in the big stages. I’m trying to get to the big stage and perform there. These are just games to get to this point, or get to that point in the future.” <a href="https://t.co/oQeaWn8cnO">pic.twitter.com/oQeaWn8cnO</a></p><p>— Hayden Cilley (@HaydenCilley) <a href="https://twitter.com/HaydenCilley/status/2001890166924021934?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Dillon Brooks sees Suns win over Stephen Curry as redemption</b></h2><p>This headline might be a little misleading, but it paints a broader picture. Curry has given Brooks his fair share of viral moments that left the internet buzzing.</p><p>Most notably, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/fans-erupt-after-stephen-curry-savagely-cooks-dillon-brooks-defense">Brooks was the victim of a Curry masterclass</a> in the 2024-25 NBA playoffs in the first round. The Warriors sharpshooter made quick work of the Houston Rockets and had a memorable closeout game.</p><p>Now, Brooks is in Phoenix, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-mnJAcCtnw" rel="noopener">hoping to reset the narratives</a> about him not being a winner. He’s out to prove that he belongs on the big stage. And judging from his career season under first-year head coach Jordan Ott, he might be right.</p><p>But one game won’t define everything, as has been the Suns’ mantra all season. They’ll continue to put their best foot forward as they’ll take on the Warriors again, but this time in the Bay on Saturday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dillon Brooks’ revenge-fueled reason why he loves playing Stephen Curry

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-dillon-brooks-escalates-feud-social-media-lebron-james-airball-diss');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns’ Dillon Brooks escalates feud against ‘social media junkie’ LeBron James with ‘airball’ diss');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Devin-Booker-responds-to-Dillon-Brooks-LeBron-James-confrontation.jpg"><figcaption>© Allan Henry-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Suns’ Dillon Brooks escalates feud against ‘social media junkie’ LeBron James with ‘airball’ diss</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-18T06:37:53-08:00">December 18th, 6:37am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-18T06:37:53-08:00">December 18th, 6:37am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Wherever Dillon Brooks plays, just know that he’s going to be his most authentic self, and he’s not going to back down from a challenge. Since he’s been with the Phoenix Suns, he’s kept that mindset, and there’s no doubt that it has been contagious around the team, which could be one of the reasons for their success. One player that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-heated-lebron-james-grabs-ref-dillon-brooks-swats-ball">Brooks refuses to back down from is LeBron James</a>, as they have years of history.</p><p>Brook and James got into it several times in their last matchup, and the Suns’ guard ended up getting ejected toward the end of the game. That was days ago, but the feud still seems to be fresh in Brooks’ mind, which is why he continued to <a href="https://x.com/ESPNNBA/status/2001445157745439025?s=20" rel="noopener">escalate the beef</a> with James in his latest media availability.</p><p>“He’s a social-media junkie,’’ Brooks said. “He be all over the socials… he thinks that people should think a way about him or not say nothing about him or play a certain way, and I’m not going to play that way. He gets in his moods or in his modes or whatever it is. I’m all for that.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dillon Brooks spoke about getting into it with LeBron at the end of the Lakers win vs. the Suns 👀 </p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/Suns?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Suns</a>) <a href="https://t.co/8qbxukhunm">pic.twitter.com/8qbxukhunm</a></p><p>— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/2001445157745439025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I wish we would have let him shoot that shot and that s— would have been an airball.”</p><p>According to Brooks, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-opens-up-blunder-dillon-brooks-ejection">James has probably seen these comments</a>, and somebody will definitely ask him about them soon. The real question is, will James pay it any attention, or just move on?</p><p>Brooks has been trying to prove since he was with the Memphis Grizzlies that James doesn’t bother him. It’s hard to tell if he’s forcing it with him or not, but he has been able to get James riled up a few times, especially in their latest matchup.</p><p>It seems like this will go on however long they face off against each other, and with the Lakers coming out on top, James won this battle.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ Dillon Brooks escalates feud against ‘social media junkie’ LeBron James with ‘airball’ diss

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-mark-williams-unsung-mvp-26-games');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Mark Williams is the Suns unsung MVP through 26 games');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Why-Mark-Williams-is-the-Suns-unsung-MVP-through-26-games.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Mark Williams is the Suns unsung MVP through 26 games</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-17T09:43:11-08:00">December 17th, 9:43am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-17T09:43:11-08:00">December 17th, 9:43am</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The talk of Phoenix, Arizona and its beloved Phoenix Suns should include Mark Williams, if it hasn’t already. Ever since he was traded to the Suns on draft night, many thought it would be a mistake.</p><p>After all, the team drafted standout Duke center Khaman Maluach with its No. 10 pick. However, everything aligned for the current Phoenix starting center to have a breakout season.</p><p>For starters, the team designed a new and improved injury plan. Constant conditioning and adaptation have made him one of the more underrated bigs in the NBA.</p><p>Still, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-why-mark-willams-home-with-phoenix-win-vs-timberwolves">Williams has found his home with the Suns</a>, and some of it doesn’t even come from the production. It comes from being valued and respected as a legitimate player.</p><p>He dodged the Charlotte Hornets during media day <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AotV1AO25q0" rel="noopener">regarding his usage and playing time</a>. In a new situation, environment, and around new people, he’s been the team’s MVP.</p><h2><b>Mark Williams’ on-off numbers show how he’s the Suns’ MVP</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Mark-Williams-blocking-a-shot.jpg"><figcaption>© Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Perhaps this might be too analytical a statistic, but numbers don’t lie. Out of the team’s starting lineup, they are <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/willima07.html" rel="noopener">five points better</a> with Williams in the lineup.</p><p>Considering he’s been on injury management, it’s an impressive number. However, it’s also surprising that he is the leader of that starting lineup.</p><p>But does that number illustrate his impact? Not at all. Actually, there is so much more to the puzzle that makes him such a dominant force for the Suns.</p><p>For starters, he’s an anchor in the paint. There’s so much gravity towards him that opposing bigs don’t want to sag off to help with the ball handlers because it’ll be an easy bucket for Williams.</p><p>It’s made him quite the threat, as evidenced by shooting 66.5% from the field. The <a href="https://suns.com/news/mark-williams-is-quietly-dominating-for-the-phoenix-suns" rel="noopener">constant designed handoffs</a> between Grayson Allen, Devin Booker, and Collin Gillespie, among other ball handlers, have made Williams’s productivity more fruitful.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Royce O'Neale &amp; these PnR reps the last 4 quarters — oop to Mark Williams here</p><p>Multiple PnRs for them here</p><p>Patience once he gets into his + their spacing *continuing* to move, leaves Mark Williams untagged as Royce O'Neale steals control of flow <a href="https://t.co/NcqdIs2icm">pic.twitter.com/NcqdIs2icm</a></p><p>— Stephen PridGeon-Garner 🏁 (@StephenPG3) <a href="https://twitter.com/StephenPG3/status/1997123945448059042?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Not to mention, head coach Jordan Ott has been Williams’s biggest advocate. He’s frequently talked about how the game plan immediately changes, and the gravitational pull he has on both sides.</p><p>For years, the Suns never had a true rim threat. Now they do, and it’s paying dividends.</p><h2><b>Constant encouragement from Suns helps Mark Williams</b></h2><p>Going back to the previous point about being wanted, that is a good part of his success. However, he is in a contract year, so skeptics might say that has a part to do with it.</p><p>At this point, it might be about proving to himself that Williams can be impactful and a top player on a contending team. He’s held his own against guys like Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, and Rudy Gobert.</p><p>Some of the league’s top centers and most versatile players have been limited by Williams’ presence. The talent and potential were always there, and still are there. But the biggest question about his ability was his availability.</p><p>He’s been ruled out of four games this season because of back-to-backs. That was something planned by Ott at the beginning of the season. And in those games, the <a href="https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask?q=suns+record+without+mark+williams+in+the+2025-26+season" rel="noopener">team is 1-3</a> with an average of 38 rebounds per game, compared to 42.9 with him in.</p><p>Even with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-jordan-ott-vision-crowded-center-rotation">Suns laying out the vision for Williams in the center rotation</a>, he’s risen to the occasion and has clearly been the de facto option.</p><p>His teammates love him, his coaches love him, and the organization and fanbase appear to feel the same way. He might not bring the flash that his Phoenix counterparts do, but he remains the unsung MVP of his team.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Mark Williams is the Suns unsung MVP through 26 games

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/do-the-suns-have-respect-back-jordan-ott-seems-to-think-so');   ga('set', 'title', 'Do the Suns have their respect back? Jordan Ott seems to think so');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Jordan-Ott-on-the-sidelines.jpg"><figcaption>© Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Do the Suns have their respect back? Jordan Ott seems to think so</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-16T21:40:39-08:00">December 16th, 9:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-16T21:40:39-08:00">December 16th, 9:40pm</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>SCOTTSDALE– The Phoenix Suns have their identity so far in the 2025-26 season, in part due to head coach Jordan Ott. After skeptics said the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/how-suns-blowing-away-expectations-disastrous-kevin-durant-bradley-beal-era">Suns would be at the bottom of the barrel</a> in the Western Conference, they’ve shut the critics up.</p><p>However, the team’s expectation was, and is, far greater than what anyone could’ve imagined. Rebuilding and retooling a team within one season isn’t for the faint of heart, but Phoenix seems to pull it off.</p><p>Although they sit seventh with a 14-12 record, very few imagined it would be this way.</p><p>From the moment the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-jordan-ott-hiring-hope-new-direction-dark-past">Suns hired Ott to be the franchise’s next head coach</a>, he’s been everything they’ve asked for: a savvy, intellectual X’s and O’s mind with a sense of understanding and empathy towards his players.</p><p>During Tuesday’s practice, he was asked if he feels the Suns <a href="https://x.com/HaydenCilley/status/2001142143285596470?s=20" rel="noopener">have their respect back</a>.</p><p>“Every day, you fight for respect every day,” Ott said. “This league changes too fast. Too many things can happen. LeBron (James) is still out there fighting, so it’s like every day you get out there. We’re all trying to be the best that we can, really challenge ourselves to grow. The only way to do that is to play, be in the arena.</p><p>“Like it’s easy from the outside. It’s easy to say the only way to get better is to be in the heat, and our group enjoys it, and we want to be in those environments. We talked about it in Oklahoma City. We’d love to be playing obviously in Vegas, but we’ve had some of those moments where it’s going to get like that because we want to be there, and that’ll make us grow.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jordan Ott feels that the Suns have earned respect, despite the lack of it heading into the season.</p><p>"It's easy from the outside… (but) the only way to get better is to be in the heat. Our group enjoys it and we want to be in those environments." <a href="https://t.co/ajhdVojjdi">pic.twitter.com/ajhdVojjdi</a></p><p>— Hayden Cilley (@HaydenCilley) <a href="https://twitter.com/HaydenCilley/status/2001142143285596470?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>The Suns are gaining respect with Jordan Ott</b></h2><p>Contrary to what Ott’s thoughts are, his team is earning respect. Numerous coaches, including Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK2QanawBKw" rel="noopener">praised Phoenix and who they are</a>.</p><p>He talked about the defense, being scrappy and playing with urgency, along with the offensive pieces they have. In only season, things look quite well in the Valley of the Sun.</p><p>Mind you, this is without Jalen Green, who has only played in two games this season. In the one game he played, the Suns blew out the Los Angeles Clippers and showed major promise.</p><p>Regardless, the respect comes from being competitive and not giving up. The 2024-25 iteration of the Suns didn’t have the same fight and grit that the current version has.</p><p>Some of that comes from roster construction, but a hefty amount comes from who’s calling the shots, and Ott is doing quite the job.</p><p>Guys like Dillon Brooks are helping push the Suns’ agenda of being the team you don’t want to play. They’ve rallied around him, but Brooks has rallied behind Ott and his commitment and vision.</p><p>The 21.6-point-per-game scorer has gone on record with his vocal support of the first-year coach. Devin Booker has done more of the same, especially when <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/how-jordan-ott-earned-valley-moment-first-win-suns-head-coach">Ott won his first game as the Suns’ head coach</a>.</p><p>Still, in his eyes, there will always be more work to be done. It’s the right mentality for Phoenix to have, considering the lackluster handful of prior seasons.</p><p>Establishing this brand of Suns basketball has already taken place, and it’s happening quicker than expected because of Ott’s stamp on the facets of the organization.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Do the Suns have their respect back? Jordan Ott seems to think so

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-news-paul-pierce-lakers-suns-playoff-warning');   ga('set', 'title', 'Paul Pierce slaps ‘low-IQ’ Lakers, Suns with brutal playoff warning');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Former-NBA-star-Paul-Pierce.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Terada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Paul Pierce slaps ‘low-IQ’ Lakers, Suns with brutal playoff warning</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-15T09:32:46-08:00">December 15th, 9:32am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-15T09:32:46-08:00">December 15th, 9:32am</time><address><a>Zachary Draves</a>Zachary Draves is a sportswriter and broadcaster based in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. Zachary covers a variety of different sports as well as sports history, sport and society, and sport and culture. He is also a professor of sociology.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Lately, former NBA player Paul Pierce calls it like he sees it. For instance, he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-earns-michael-jordan-comparison-paul-pierce">compared OKC Thunder MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to Michael Jordan</a>. Now, he’s as candid as can be about the playoff chances for the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns.</p><p>During an appearance on the No Fouls Given podcast, Pierce <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/2000606667453743188" rel="noopener">made it clear</a> that the Lakers and Suns don’t have enough basketball IQ to go far.</p><p>On Sunday, the Lakers and Suns played, with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-fans-react-stunning-end-la-suns-clash">LA coming out on top</a>, 116-114. A game that<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-opens-up-blunder-dillon-brooks-ejection"> saw a fierce battle between LeBron James and Dillon Brooks</a>. Ultimately, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/lakers-news-dillon-brooks-ejected-lakers-game-tech">Brooks was ejected from the game</a>.</p><p>However, they didn’t impress Pierce much.</p><p>“This was the lowest IQ, last 4-minutes of a game I’ve seen this season… Neither one of these teams can win a playoff series.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"This was the lowest IQ, last 4-minutes of a game I've seen this season… Neither one of these teams can win a playoff series."</p><p>Paul Pierce did not hold back on the Lakers and Suns endgame 🗣️</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/NFGShow?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NFGShow</a>)<a href="https://t.co/xQHQ97Xekz">pic.twitter.com/xQHQ97Xekz</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/2000606667453743188?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Lakers had blown a 20-point lead, leading to a dramatic finish. Brooks hit a three pointer with 12.2 seconds left, giving the Suns a 114-113 lead. After bumping James, Brooks was rendered a second techincal foul and an ejection.</p><p>Then, Devin Boozer fould James as he attempted a three-pointer. James made two out of three free throws to put the Lakers up 115-114.</p><p>Finally, Grayson Allen flung up a three pointer to no avail. After grabbing the rebound, Marcus Smart was fouled, made one out of two free throws, and sealed the win.</p><h2><b>Paul Pierce shares a special connection to the Lakers and Suns</b></h2><p>During his playing career with the Boston Celtics, Pierce engaged in strong battles against both teams. In 2008, he was an integral part in the Celtics winning the NBA title over the Lakers. Two years later, Kobe Bryant and company got back against Boston by winning the title.</p><p>Pierce, who grew up in Inglewood, California, was a Lakers fan growing up.</p><p>As a TV analyst, Pierce provided strong opinions about the Suns. He argued for Devin Booker was worthy of the NBA MVP, criticized Kevin Durant, and said the Suns chances at winning a championship were demoralized in 2022.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Paul Pierce slaps ‘low-IQ’ Lakers, Suns with brutal playoff warning

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-jordan-ott-calls-out-refs-lakers-game');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns’ Jordan Ott calls out refs after getting screwed in Lakers game');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Jordan-Ott-coaching-1.jpg"><figcaption>© Arianna Grainey-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Suns’ Jordan Ott calls out refs after getting screwed in Lakers game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-15T07:42:49-08:00">December 15th, 7:42am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-15T07:42:49-08:00">December 15th, 7:42am</time><address><a>Rishabh Bhatnagar</a>Rishabh is a seasoned NBA and sports journalist and editor with over seven years of experience working for reputed organizations. A novelist first and foremost, he has written three fiction books. His high threshold of knowledge combined with his writing skills gives him the ability to write uniquely insightful pieces across basketball, soccer, cricket, lawn tennis, eSports, and a variety of other sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-news-devin-booker-calls-out-lie-lebron-james-foul">Los Angeles Lakers escaped Phoenix with a 116–114 win on Sunday night after LeBron James</a> hit two decisive free throws in the final seconds. However, considerable attention went to the state of officiating in the game, especially late in the fourth quarter as the Lakers overcame a late Phoenix onslaught to emerge winners.</p><p>The refereeing proved so infuriating that Suns coach Jordan Ott <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/2000428750693978377" rel="noopener">called it out post-game</a>, per a clip posted on X by ClutchPoints.</p><p>“There is no rhythm. They [the officials] control the rhythm,” he said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“There is no rhythm. They [the officials] control the rhythm.”</p><p>Suns coach Jordan Ott spoke candidly when I asked how he develops rhythm despite a free-throw discrepancy 👀</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/HaydenCilley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HaydenCilley</a>) <a href="https://t.co/hKyOOsGfL5">pic.twitter.com/hKyOOsGfL5</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/2000428750693978377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Despite blowing a 20-point fourth-quarter lead, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-sounds-off-adding-chapter-dillon-brooks-beef">the Lakers leaned on James’ late composure to improve to 18–7</a>, while the Suns fell to 14–12 after another narrow loss that reignited debate about referee influence in superstar-driven games.</p><p>Phoenix had mounted a furious comeback in the final eight minutes, initially erasing a 99–79 deficit. Dillon Brooks capped the rally by drilling a go-ahead three-pointer with 12.2 seconds remaining over James, seemingly delivering the defining moment of the night.</p><p>Instead, the aftermath of the play swung momentum back toward Los Angeles, as Brooks bumped James while jogging back on defense and was assessed his second technical foul, resulting in an ejection. The technical foul awarded the Lakers a free throw, which James missed, briefly preserving Phoenix’s one-point lead.</p><p>Moments later, with 3.9 seconds left, James attempted a contested three-pointer and drew a foul on Devin Booker. The call sent James to the line for three free throws, where the 40-year-old missed the first but converted the final two to put Los Angeles ahead 115–114. Phoenix’s final possession ended with Grayson Allen forcing up an awkward buzzer-beater that missed, sealing the Lakers’ escape. James finished with 26 points and delivered another age-defying closing performance.</p><p>Luka Dončić led Los Angeles with 29 points despite shooting just 7-of-25 from the field and 2-of-14 from three-point range. Deandre Ayton produced a strong showing against his former team, recording 20 points and 13 rebounds</p><p>Regardless, the officiating continued to irk fans and players alike. With 12.2 seconds left, officials did not call a foul when James made contact with Brooks as he landed from his go-ahead three, a decision that Suns supporters believed should have resulted in an and-one.</p><p>Instead, Brooks’ reaction earned him a technical, flipping the balance as the Suns failed to recover.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ Jordan Ott calls out refs after getting screwed in Lakers game

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/a-brief-history-of-wild-lebron-james-dillon-brooks-feud');   ga('set', 'title', 'A brief history of wild LeBron James-Dillon Brooks feud');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Dec-14-2025-Phoenix-Arizona-USA-Phoenix-Suns-forward-Dillon-Brooks-3-and-Los-Angeles-Lakers-forward-LeBron-James-23-react.jpg"><figcaption>© Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>A brief history of wild LeBron James-Dillon Brooks feud</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-15T07:11:28-08:00">December 15th, 7:11am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-15T07:11:28-08:00">December 15th, 7:11am</time><address><a>Rishabh Bhatnagar</a>Rishabh is a seasoned NBA and sports journalist and editor with over seven years of experience working for reputed organizations. A novelist first and foremost, he has written three fiction books. His high threshold of knowledge combined with his writing skills gives him the ability to write uniquely insightful pieces across basketball, soccer, cricket, lawn tennis, eSports, and a variety of other sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LeBron James has had a range of tough opponents during what is the longest-ever career in the NBA. However, in recent years, none have <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-opens-up-blunder-dillon-brooks-ejection">gotten more attention than the LeBron James–Dillon Brooks feud</a>, which has grown into one of the NBA’s most unusual modern rivalries.</p><p>What began as a few competitive moments has evolved into a recurring flashpoint whenever <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-sounds-off-adding-chapter-dillon-brooks-beef">LeBron James and Dillon Brooks share the floor</a>, with the 2023 NBA Playoffs serving as the ignition point and every subsequent matchup adding fuel to the fire.</p><h2><b>When did the rivalry begin?</b></h2><p>The most defining chapter of the LeBron James vs. Dillon Brooks feud unfolded during the first round of the 2023 playoffs, when Brooks, then with the Memphis Grizzlies, made the decision to publicly antagonize one of the most accomplished players in NBA history. Known for his abrasive edge, Brooks dismissed James as “old,” declared that he “pokes bears,” and insisted he did not respect anyone <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/in/nba/news/lebron-james-dillon-brooks-beef-history-explained/55eb8b944a6406fdd357e677" rel="noopener">until they scored 40 points on him</a>, per The Sporting News.</p><p>The comments backfired quickly. James responded not with words, but with production, averaging 22.2 points, 11.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists as the Los Angeles Lakers eliminated Memphis in six games, ending Brooks’ postseason with more headlines than victories.<br>While the playoff series brought the rivalry into the spotlight, the tension between LeBron James and Dillon Brooks had earlier roots. In January 2021, James delivered what many believe was the first spark, hitting clutch shots over Brooks and punctuating them with a “too small” taunt.</p><p>At the time, it appeared to be a routine in-game exchange, but in hindsight it marked the beginning of Brooks’ fixation with challenging James both verbally and physically.</p><p>The feud escalated further in January 2023 during a heated regular-season game at Crypto.com Arena, when Brooks clashed with television personality Shannon Sharpe before turning his attention to James postgame. Brooks publicly critiqued James’ offensive tendencies, claiming he forced him left and denied him easy looks. Any remaining ambiguity about whether the rivalry was personal vanished at that moment, setting the stage for a postseason collision.</p><h2><b>When did the rivalry develop?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/James.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>That collision arrived sooner than expected. As the Lakers entered the 2023 playoffs via the Play-In Tournament, Brooks openly stated he wanted a seven-game series against James, framing it as an opportunity to knock him out immediately.</p><p>The wish was granted when Los Angeles defeated Minnesota and drew Memphis in the first round. From the opening tip, the series was charged with emotion, culminating in Game 2, when James finally responded to Brooks’ provocations with a fadeaway jumper and a brief dose of trash talk of his own.</p><p>Brooks briefly enjoyed a moment of defiance in that game, hitting late three-pointers and staring James down, but the rivalry took a darker turn soon after. In Game 3, Brooks was ejected early in the second half for a Flagrant 2 foul after striking James below the belt while he brought the ball up the court.</p><p>Brooks later suggested that his growing reputation as a villain influenced the officiating, while James refused to engage publicly, saying he was “not here for the bulls—” and focused solely on playing.</p><p>The defining image of the series arrived in Game 4. With Brooks defending him, James scored a game-tying basket in regulation and then delivered a crushing and-one in overtime, roaring and flexing as the Lakers seized a 3–1 series lead.</p><p>Brooks declined media availability again after the loss, a pattern that led to a $25,000 fine by the NBA for violating interview rules. When the series ended in six games, James summed up the rivalry indirectly on Instagram, posting a photo of himself flexing with the caption, “If you ever see me fighting in the forest with a Grizzly bear, HELP THE BEAR.”</p><p>The rivalry did not fade with the offseason. After Brooks signed a four-year, $80 million contract with the Houston Rockets, he reignited the feud ahead of his first 2023–24 matchup with James, <a href="https://www.tsn.ca/nba/article/lakers-james-seals-win-after-suns-brooks-ejected-in-latest-chapter-of-feud-n1-47311603/">declaring he was ready to “lock him up,”</a> per TSN.</p><p>James once again chose restraint, publicly praising Brooks for earning his contract and acknowledging his work ethic since college, even as their on-court encounters remained tense.</p><h2><b>The latest incident</b></h2><p>That tension resurfaced dramatically in a later matchup in Phoenix, where Brooks’ competitive fire once again crossed the line. After hitting a clutch go-ahead three-pointer late in the fourth quarter, Brooks went chest-to-chest with James, earning his second technical foul and an ejection.</p><p>The moment swung the game back to the Lakers, with James converting key free throws and sealing the win with a final defensive stop. It was yet another example of how Brooks’ intensity, while effective at times, has repeatedly altered games in James’ favor.</p><p>James, nearing his 41st birthday, delivered another age-defying performance in that contest, finishing with 26 points while absorbing constant contact. Needless to say, the two players can be expected to continue this extremely entertaining feud for the time being, despite James possibly already considering retirement.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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