Dillon Brooks Ejected After Kicking Jamal Murray in Groin

Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks was ejected from the NBA Cup game against the Denver Nuggets on Friday after a flagrant-two foul. Crew chief Tyler Ford reviewed the play and determined that Brooks "overtly kicks Murray in the groin" during an offensive foul call. The automatic ejection occurred early in the third quarter when Brooks extended his leg while releasing a jump shot.

The incident happened as Brooks attempted to draw contact with Jamal Murray, who was contesting the shot. Instead of a clean contest, the foot connected with Murray's lower body. Brooks had already accumulated 22 points in 20 minutes of play before leaving the court. He did not speak to reporters after the final buzzer.

Murray, who played the full game, said he did not believe the kick was intentional. "He's shooting the ball. I mean, (he) maybe flopped a little bit," Murray said. "I don't think he was really trying to kick me in the (expletive), though." Murray noted that he was unsure if the ejection was standard procedure, admitting he did not know the specific rule regarding such contact.

Suns forward Miles Bridges suggested that Brooks's reputation in the league may have influenced the call. "I feel like if it was anyone else but Dillon doing that, he wouldn't have gotten ejected," Bridges said. "He's the villain of this league. That comes with a price." Bridges spoke according to The Arizona Republic's Duane Rankin.

Suns coach Jordan Ott defended the play as part of a long-standing rivalry between the two Canadian teammates. "A couple of possessions before (the kick), I was trying to tell the officials, these are national team teammates," Ott said. "It's nothing malicious. These guys have probably played together forever." Ott hoped the flagrant-two call would not be viewed as a punishment for Brooks's on-court persona.

Murray and Brooks had exchanged words throughout the contest, a dynamic Murray described as a tradition between the two. "We're always talking," Murray said. "When he had the post-up (on me), I was talking. When I came out and hit those 3s, I was talking. I mean, we always talk. We're buddies."

Murray finished the game with 39 points, leading all scorers in Denver's 127-120 victory. He is currently averaging 25.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in the five games played this season while shooting 53.5% from three-point range. Murray shrugged off the incident when asked about it after the win. "I got kicked," he said. "I can't call it for them."