Dillon Brooks and the Rockets had no answer for LeBron James on Sunday.
In the second meeting of the season between the Rockets and Lakers, James powered Los Angeles to victory with perhaps his finest performance of the season yet. In 39 minutes, he scored a game-high 37 points to go along with eight assists, six rebounds and three steals.
James saved his best for last, scoring 13 of the team's 24 points in the fourth quarter to secure the 105-104 victory.
Once again, Brooks took on the challenge of guarding James. And once again, the two had some back and forths, including James being whistled for a technical foul and later breaking out the "too small" taunt against Brooks.
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After the game, Lakers forward Rui Hachimura weighed in on the beef and shared his theory of why Brooks keeps trying to get under James' skin.
"I don't know what's the beef between those two guys, but I know they've been doing it for a while now, especially last year in the playoffs," Hachimura said. "You know, things going on.
"For Bron, it's nothing. It's actually good for him. He needs that motivation. It actually brings him more to the game. As you guys seen, whatever he's doing, it doesn't do anything to him. He actually score more, he gets rebound more and then we've been winning.
"Dillon Brooks, he just wants to be part of his legacy, I guess."
"For LeBron, it’s nothing...Dillon Brooks, he just wants to be part of his legacy I guess."
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) November 20, 2023
Tell em' @rui_8mura. pic.twitter.com/BWaSIuk7C5
James and Brooks have now faced each other 13 times in the regular season. James owns a 10-3 record, posting averages of 25.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.5 assists on 54.1 percent shooting from the field. James also came out on top in the only series they've played against each other in the postseason, with the Lakers defeating the Grizzlies in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs in six games.
The Lakers and Rockets have at least two more meetings this season. They could even meet in the In-Season Tournament, Play-In Tournament or playoffs depending on how things shake out. This beef and rivalry isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
