The highly-anticipated matchup between LeBron James and Dillon Brooks on Saturday night fizzled out very quickly.
Brooks trash-talked James after the Memphis Grizzlies won Game 2 of the Western Conference first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers. He said that James was too old to put up a big game against Memphis.
Fast forward to Saturday in Los Angeles, and the Grizzlies had a brutal first quarter where they fell behind 35-9. They were down 53-37 at the half, and things got worse when the third quarter started.
Brooks nailed James in the groin while trying to poke a ball out behind the Lakers star 17 seconds into the start of the third quarter.
Here is a close-up view:
The officials deemed Brooks’ actions excessive and unnecessary and gave him a Flagrant 2 foul, triggering an automatic ejection. Brooks was 3-for-13 for seven points before being tossed.
Brooks talked a big game going into Game 3 and he went out with a whimper. What a disappointment all around (unless you’re a Lakers fan).
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