Dillon Brooks sends warning to LeBron James ahead of Lakers-Rockets matchup

Houston Rockets wing Dillon Brooks explained what his plan is for guarding Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James when the two players match up on Wednesday, Nov. 8.

“Ready to lock him up,” Brooks said of James. “He been shooting the ball well. He been playing well. So, I’m just there to make him tired, make him get into that fourth quarter early.”

It appears that Brooks wants to make the veteran Lakers forward work hard for everything in Wednesday’s game, as it could tire him out by the fourth quarter.

Brooks didn’t come at the Lakers star as strongly as he did in the playoffs last season when he was a member of the Memphis Grizzlies. During the Lakers’ first-round matchup with Memphis, Brooks called James “old” after Memphis won Game 2 of the series.

“I don’t care he’s old,” Brooks said last postseason. “I was waiting for that. I was expecting him to do that Game 4, Game 5. He wanted to say something when I got my fourth foul. He should’ve been saying that earlier on. I poke bears. I don’t respect no one ’til they come and give me 40.”

James and the Lakers ended up knocking off the Grizzlies and Brooks in the first round, so the NBA’s all-time leading scorer got the last laugh. Los Angeles then went on to beat the Golden State Warriors in the second round of the playoffs to make the Western Conference Finals.

While James couldn’t lead the Lakers to a title, he still showed Brooks — and the rest of the NBA — that he can dominate even at this stage in his career.

Wednesday’s matchup with the Rockets doesn’t mean nearly as much as a playoff game, but James and the Lakers are hoping to bounce back with a win after losing to the Miami Heat on Monday night.

Even though he’s in his 21st NBA season, James has been elite for Los Angeles this season. The four-time champion is averaging 25.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game while shooting 56.1 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Brooks and the Rockets will likely have their hands full with James, but the team has been playing well as of late, winning three straight games heading into Wednesday’s matchup.

After joining Houston this past offseason, Brooks is averaging 16.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting an impressive 59.3 percent from the field and 56.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Houston is hoping that Brooks can take the next step as a player offensively to make him one of the better two-way players in the NBA.

The Lakers and Rockets are scheduled to tip off at 5 p.m. PST on Wednesday from Toyota Center in Houston.