Dillon Brooks has proven he’ll call out anyone and everyone in the NBA, and on Monday, November 24, he took aim at the referees after his Phoenix Suns were bested at home by the Houston Rockets 114-92.
Brooks blasted the officiating crew for calling too many fouls in the Rockets favor. He also likened the game to a FIBA-style contest, which he believes rewards players for flopping, like Houston was on Monday.
The Canadian forward certainly plays with a chip on his shoulder, and he certainly wanted to win this game, the first against his former team after he was dealt in the trade that sent Kevin Durant to Houston. The loss to the Rockets snapped a three-game winning streak for the Suns.
Phoenix and Houston are battling for position in the Western Conference, and they’ll play again at the Toyota Center in two weeks. These verbal jabs from Brooks may just be the precursor to what’s to come between the two teams.
What Dillon Brooks Said About Referees, Houston Rockets
Brooks took aim at the officials in his post-game presser following the Rockets’ loss to the Suns. He thought the whistles were quick, in favor of the away team.
“[We] couldn’t be physical, but the Rockets were physical with grabbing and holding. When we tried to do it, there were calls right away.”
Brooks took a more direct shot at the Rockets, calling them out for flopping throughout the game.
“I’ve never seen so many flops being rewarded on the other side,” Brooks said. “It honestly felt like I was in a FIBA game, like playing basketball in FIBA where you just get rewarded for flopping, and that killed every single run we had.”
It remains to be seen whether Brooks will be fined by the NBA for these comments criticizing officials. He’s already been fined $35,000 this year for confronting and directing inappropriate language toward game officials following Phoenix’s 114-113 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 21. Brooks was also fined $25,000 for making a lewd gesture in the second quarter of the Suns’ 133-98 win over the Indiana Pacers on November 13.
Phoenix Suns Battling In Western Conference
The Suns are currently in sixth in the Western Conference, one and a half games behind the Rockets in the standings. The teams will play three more times during the regular season in what is shaping up to be an entertaining rivalry.
The Suns have been a surprise during the season’s first month after missing the playoffs in 2024-25. They dealt Durant, still one of the NBA’s best scorers at 37, in the offseason and have seemingly improved. Jalen Green, the best player Phoenix received in the trade, has played only two games this year due to a hamstring injury, but Brooks is having a breakthrough offensive campaign in his ninth NBA season (averaging a career-high 22 points per game).
The Suns will have a tough stretch of games before they meet the Rockets again on December 5. They’ll play the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, November 26 before squaring off with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers.
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