Low blow triggers Dillon Brooks-Donovan Mitchell fight

Things got chippy in the third quarter of Thursday’s game between the Memphis Grizzlies and Cleveland Cavaliers. A scrum that started with an altercation between Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell and Memphis’ Dillon Brooks resulted in both players getting ejected.

Brooks drove to the hoop, being defended by Mitchell, with later help from Evan Mobley. Brooks’ shot missed and he fell to the ground, while Mitchell secured the loose ball. But as Brooks was getting himself up, he hit Mitchell in the groin. Mitchell, naturally unhappy, threw the ball at Brooks on his way to the ground. Both players then got up and began shoving each other, resulting in a scrum between the Grizzlies and Cavaliers.

The reaction of the NBA world was that Brooks, who was prominently involved in a recent in-game altercation with Shannon Sharpe, was to blame for this one.

Donovan Mitchell NEVER reacts like that.

Dirty, dirty stuff from Brooks.

— Grant Puskar (@grant_puskar_) February 3, 2023

The play did not look good from Brooks’ perspective. And certainly, his reputation in the league makes it hard to think that it was an accident. During the 2022 postseason, Brooks was ejected from a game for a foul on Gary Payton II, which left the then-Golden State Warriors star sidelined for weeks.

That said, Mitchell also did himself no favors by throwing the ball at Mitchell. That will certainly open him to more discipline than he would have faced if he’d just immediately gone after Brooks. It will be interesting to see how the NBA handles the discipline of both players and teams.

[Photo Credit: TNT]