Per an anonymous Los Angeles Lakers player, Dillon Brooks told Jarred Vanderbilt he was a “p—-” during their exchange from Monday’s game against the Houston Rockets.
Jarred Vanderbilt has been ejected after getting into it with Dillon Brooks 👀 pic.twitter.com/BsiKIQy8Qo
— Ahn Fire Digital (@AhnFireDigital) January 30, 2024
“A Lakers player told ESPN that Brooks called Vanderbilt a ‘p—-‘ during the exchange,” Dave McMenamin wrote.
After the game, Brooks commented on Vanderbilt’s ejection from the contest.
“I feel like he may feel like I did a dirty play,” Brooks said. “When he feels that way, he likes to bump. It’s basketball. We bump and tussle. I feel like he took it a little too far.”
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham and star big man Anthony Davis also shared their two cents on the altercation between Brooks and Vanderbilt.
"Maybe Dillon Brooks shouldn't have been in the game either."
– Darvin Ham when asked about Jarred Vanderbilt's ejection
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) January 30, 2024
"We all know the type of player he is. He talks and says whatever he wants to ref, to players. At the end of the day we men. … Vando did what he had to do."
– Anthony Davis on Dillon Brooks
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) January 30, 2024
Brooks played well in 28 minutes of playing time against the Lakers. He dropped 17 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal while shooting 7-of-12 from the floor and 2-of-4 from deep in the Rockets’ 16-point win.
The 28-year-old agreed to a four-year deal with the Rockets in the offseason after spending the first six seasons of his NBA career playing for the Memphis Grizzlies franchise. He is averaging 13.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game on 46.3 percent shooting from the field and 38.8 percent from 3-point range across 37 games played so far in his first season in Houston.
Vanderbilt, on the other hand, logged just seven minutes and contributed three points and one steal prior to his ejection.
The Lakers are now back at the .500 mark at 24-24 on the season following their loss to the Rockets. They are just one game ahead of the Rockets — who are the No. 11 seed in the Western Conference — in the standings and own the conference’s No. 9 seed.
Los Angeles won’t have much time to dwell on its loss on Monday, as the team will take on the Atlanta Hawks on the road on Tuesday. The Hawks won their most recent game against the Toronto Raptors by one point and have a player that the Lakers have been linked to in trade rumors of late in star guard Dejounte Murray.
After playing the Hawks, the Lakers have a road game against the Boston Celtics slated for Feb. 1. The Celtics own the top record in the Eastern Conference by a wide margin at 36-11 and have won seven of their last 10 games.
