Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks will miss a game without pay because he received his 16th technical foul of the season, the NBA announced on Thursday. Brooks was called for a technical foul for kicking Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton in the groin during Houston`s 143-105 victory on Wednesday. He will not play in the upcoming game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.
During the first quarter of the Utah game, Brooks was guarding Sexton and tried to make a jump shot. Sexton deflected the ball, and Brooks reacted dramatically, seemingly trying to draw a foul. He ended up kicking both the ball and Sexton.
This resulted in two penalties: a turnover for kicking the ball and a technical foul for making unnecessary contact with Sexton.
Brooks is known for expressing his opinions to referees and getting involved with opposing players. He was recently ejected from a game against the Phoenix Suns after an altercation with Kevin Durant. He consistently ranks high in the league for technical fouls, having reached double digits in this category for the past five seasons, with a personal high of 18 in 2023.
According to NBA rules, a player automatically receives a one-game suspension after reaching 16 technical fouls in a regular season. For every two additional technical fouls after this point, players face another one-game suspension.
After the game, Rockets coach Ime Udoka stated that he didn`t believe the groin kick was intentional, and Brooks suggested that he expected the technical foul to be overturned.
“Usually, those plays are considered flagrant fouls, and I think the referee Tony Brothers misspoke,” Brooks told reporters. “I`ll be ready to play on Friday.”
The Rockets will be without Brooks for the game against the Thunder, who lead the Western Conference. Despite his on-court behavior, Brooks is a strong defender, and his absence will make it harder to defend against Oklahoma City`s offense.
However, the Rockets are in a good position for the playoffs. With their win on Wednesday, they have secured a top-six spot in the Western Conference and will be in the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
With a record of 50-27, Houston is three games ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 2 seed. Although there is still one game left between the two teams that will decide the tiebreaker, this is a significant lead with only a couple of weeks remaining in the regular season.
Jasper Hawthorne