Houston Rockets guard Dillon Brooks has been handed a $25,000 fine for his reckless act in their opening preseason game against the Indiana Pacers.
The punishment, which was announced on Thursday by Joe Dumars, the Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations of the National Basketball Association (NBA), came after Tuesday night’s game at Toyota Center in Houston.
The following was released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/zPGwrdVIXF
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) October 12, 2023
The Canadian needlessly and rashly made contact with Pacers’ center Daniel Theis in the groin area, while the German was trying to set a screen for his teammate Bennedict Mathurin, and it resulted in Brooks being called for a Flagrant Foul 2 and subsequently ejected.
The incident occurred in the first quarter with about 7:27 minutes remaining on the clock in the game, which the new-look Rockets won 122-103 for their first preseason victory.
Dillon Brooks receives a flagrant 2 and is ejected from his first preseason game with the Houston Rockets pic.twitter.com/hVPcgw3t3b
— V̷a̷t̷o̷r̷ (@VatorSports) October 11, 2023
This is the second time Brooks will be handed a flagrant foul 2 and ejection from a game in recent times after pulling a similar act in Game 3 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs Round 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, in which he hit LeBron James “below the belt”.
Brooks joined the Rockets on a four-year $80 million deal in July as part of a sign-and-trade deal involving four other teams, including the Memphis Grizzlies he played for over the last six seasons.
Alperen Sengun and Cam Whitmore led Houston with 15 points apiece, while Aaron Nesmith scored 18 points in 20 minutes from the bench to go along with Mathurin’s 14 points for Indiana.
The Rockets will face the New Orleans Pelicans next at Legacy Arena, while the Pacers will play the Atlanta Hawks in their next preseason game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse as NBA teams continue to prepare for the upcoming season, which begins on October 24.
