Houston Rockets guard Dillon Brooks is now facing suspension after accumulating his 16th technical foul of the season. This latest technical was assessed during Wednesday`s game against the Utah Jazz when he kicked Jazz guard Collin Sexton in the groin.
Early in the game, Brooks attempted a turnaround jumper against Sexton. Sexton successfully stripped the ball as Brooks went up for the shot. In response, Brooks swung his arms dramatically, seemingly trying to draw a foul, but instead, he kicked the ball and then made contact with Sexton.
This resulted in two penalties: a turnover for kicking the ball and a technical foul for unnecessary contact against Sexton.
Brooks is known for his outspoken nature towards referees and his tendency to engage 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 technical fouls in 2023.
NBA rules stipulate that a player is automatically suspended for one game upon reaching 16 technical fouls in a regular season. Furthermore, they incur an additional one-game suspension for every two subsequent technical fouls. Unless the league rescinds the technical foul, Brooks will be suspended for the Rockets` upcoming game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.
Brooks` potential absence against the Western Conference-leading Thunder would be a significant setback for the Rockets, who are currently competing for playoff positioning. As of Wednesday night, the Rockets were positioned two games ahead of the Nuggets for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
Despite his on-court antics, Brooks remains a formidable perimeter defender. The Thunder`s offense would pose a considerable challenge even with Brooks in the Rockets` lineup.
Jasper Hawthorne