The rivalry between Dillon Brooks and LeBron James intensified during the Los Angeles Lakers' 116-114 win over the Phoenix Suns, as a late-game confrontation led to technical fouls for both players and an ejection for Brooks, overshadowing a result that moved the Lakers to 18-7 and kept pressure on Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City Thunder.
The incident came as the Lakers edged a physical Suns side, with James, Luka Doncic and Deandre Ayton all producing strong numbers in a tight contest that highlighted both teams' playoff ambitions and also set the stage for another meeting, with Phoenix and Los Angeles scheduled to face each other again on Tuesday.
Tension peaked in the final seconds when Brooks hit a 3-point shot to give the Suns a late
lead with 12.2 seconds remaining, then made contact with James while celebrating, which led to Brooks being thrown out, while earlier in the game Brooks had fired the ball toward James, prompting James' team-mates to intervene.
The latest flashpoint added to an ongoing feud between the Suns wing and the Lakers star, as Brooks had already criticised James before for believing other players should defer, and after the game Brooks suggested James had reacted partly because of comments made away from the court, especially on online platforms followed by fans.
Asked why James appeared angered by his behaviour, Brooks responded with a pointed assessment of James' online habits and expectations of opponents, saying: 'I guess he's a social-media junkie. He's all over the socials, so I guess he sees what I'm saying. Like I've said, he thinks that people should think a way about him or say nothing about him or play a certain way, and I'm not going to play that way. He gets in his moods or in his modes or whatever it is. I'm all for that. '
On the court, the Lakers relied on scoring bursts from their top names to edge Phoenix in a contest marked by physical defence, with James contributing 26 points along with four assists, two steals and two blocks, while Doncic added 29 points and six assists, and Ayton posted 20 points plus 13 rebounds and two steals.
The Lakers were propelled to the win by a trio of strong showings Luka: 29 PTS | 6 AST LeBron: 26 PTS | 4 AST | 2 STL | 2 BLK Ayton: 20 PTS | 13 REB | 2 STL LA moves to 18-7 on the season! pic.twitter.com/PQKkKS6jFgNBA (@NBA) December 15, 2025
Head coach J.J. Redick had recently challenged James and Doncic to give more on defence, meeting both players to seek stronger engagement at that end of the floor, as the Lakers remained 5.5 games behind defending champions Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference standings despite holding an 18-7 record.
Describing that discussion, Doncic said Redick's message targeted the team's leaders and the way games start defensively, explaining: 'We talked about a lot, not just that, but he was right, You've got to get a little bit more, especially from the star players. So that's on us. That's on me. And we just got to give more, especially at the start of the game. We got to start the game better. I think in Phoenix, we did a pretty good job. The plan was focused on ourselves and defensive mentality, so I think we did a pretty good job. Phoenix is one of the most physical teams in the NBA, so we did a pretty good job there. '
Los Angeles now turn attention to another road test against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City on Thursday before renewing hostilities with the Suns on Tuesday, with the combination of Brooks' comments, James' response and Redick's defensive demands ensuring added scrutiny on how the Lakers manage both competitive edge and discipline in the coming games.
