The Houston Rockets have had a very strong start to the season, and Dillon Brooks has played a big role in their success. He’s enjoyed a bounce back season after a rather disastrous end to his tenure in Memphis raised questions about what his place in the league was going forward.
This year he has brought the Rockets the best parts of his game and mostly avoided the antics that made him a headache for the Grizzlies. However, late on Wednesday night the little green goblin voice that lives deep inside Brooks was able to find its way out as he broke out one of his signature moves, hitting Oneyka Okongwu with a low blow as he ran over a screen in the fourth quarter of a Rockets loss to the Hawks.
Just another cup check from Brooks on Okongwu this time. pic.twitter.com/TIwSbeFqaT
— Mo Dakhil (@MoDakhil_NBA) December 21, 2023
Brooks wasn’t ejected for this one, but was given a Flagrant 1 and you can bet the league will take a look at it to decide whether it should result in a suspension. It is the fourth time this calendar year that Brooks has hit an opponent in the nuts, as Donovan Mitchell, LeBron James, Daniel Theis, and now Okongwu have felt the wrath of Brooks, with his preseason shot on Theis earning him a $25,000 fine. Now we’ll see what the NBA decides is an appropriate punishment for his latest low blow.