Dillon Brooks is the troublemaker-in-chief within the Canada workforce, utilizing all his darkish arts of defending to needle, harass and bully opponents into submission.
On Sunday, nonetheless, it was his opponents who had the final giggle.
Just a few days prior, Brooks had carried out his function because the pantomime villain to perfection in Wednesday’s quarter-final win over Slovenia in Manila, pushing Luka Doncic to this point to the restrict that the Dallas Mavericks celebrity snapped and bought himself ejected within the fourth quarter.
However small ahead Brooks, who in July swapped the Memphis Grizzlies for the Houston Rockets, did extra than simply get beneath opponents’ pores and skin.
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The 27-year-old scored 22 factors in Canada’s second-round win over defending champions Spain, with teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander calling his efficiency “one for the books”.
Celebrating that efficiency and his workforce’s victory, cameras caught Brooks shadow boxing within the area tunnel as he waited for his teammates to hitch him.
On Sunday, nonetheless, Canada was eradicated from the World Cup after a 95-86 loss to Serbia and Nikola Jovic knew precisely methods to have a good time the win as he walked up the sector tunnel.
Brooks completed the second-highest scorer on the evening for Canada with 16 factors, trailing teammate RJ Barrett who had 23.
Oklahoma Metropolis celebrity Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, in the meantime, was held to simply 15 to go together with 9 assists.
Gilgeous-Alexander was filled with reward for Brooks earlier than Sunday’s recreation, describing him as a “man you all the time need in your workforce”.
“He’s a pacesetter, he does the correct issues on the basketball flooring, he performs with the correct power,” mentioned Gilgeous-Alexander.
Brooks embellished his notoriety final season within the NBA when he clashed with Los Angeles Lakers celebrity LeBron James.
Brooks referred to as James “outdated” after the Grizzlies beat the Lakers within the second recreation of their playoff collection, then bought himself ejected within the subsequent recreation after hitting the 38-year-old with a low blow.
Brooks was as much as his outdated methods in opposition to Slovenia, getting bodily with Doncic and having a phrase in his ear every time attainable.
The Manila followers cheered Doncic’s each contact and booed Brooks, who responded by blowing a kiss to the gang after nailing an early three-pointer.
Canada head coach Jordi Fernandez mentioned Brooks “needed to be higher” after getting himself ejected shortly earlier than Doncic, however he couldn’t fault his participant for effort.
“I feel at present was a defensive clinic of main together with his chest, exhibiting his palms, pressuring full-court,” mentioned Fernandez.
“And if you happen to don’t assume that method, you then don’t like basketball.”
Even Doncic needed to give Brooks begrudging credit score, saying he performed with physicality “like he all the time does”.
“Lots of people don’t like him however I respect him for what he does, and he does that stuff fairly good,” mentioned Doncic.