Grizzlies’ Brooks struggles in return from suspension, to Warriors fans’ delight
In his return from a one-game suspension Monday night, Dillon Brooks played solid defense against the Warriors’ sharpshooters as Golden State struggled to find a rhythm.
But for seemingly every miss Brooks saw on defense, he equaled it on offense.
He started the game 3-of-17 from the field before making a key layup late in the fourth quarter and a meaningless banked 3-pointer at the buzzer, just his second make from behind the arc in nine tries as the Warriors beat the Grizzlies 101-98 to take a 3-1 series lead.
He’s now just 8-of-35 from the field for the series.
After the game, Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins defended his decision to play Brooks down the stretch: “I loved what he was doing defensively. Had a big three, big two late in the game, just ball wasn’t bouncing for him the majority of the game, but got a lot of trust in that guy.”
In the fourth quarter, Brooks’ impact on defense melted away, too. Steph Curry, Brooks’ main defensive assignment, poured in 18 points to lead the Warriors’ comeback effort. Curry was 10-of-25 for the game, but he was 5-of-9 against Brooks, according to ESPN.
The schadenfreude was strong with Dub Nation after Brooks injured Gary Payton II in Game 2 with a hard foul, drawing the suspension after it was announced that Payton had fractured his elbow.
The Chase Center crowd booed Brooks all night long whenever he touched the ball, but they may have done better to cheer him for each shot he took, including an out-of-rhythm stepback 3 with a one-point lead and under a minute to play.
“Our fans will let you know if you wronged them,” Klay Thompson said after the game. “I guess good job, Dub Nation.”
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— warriorsworld (@warriorsworld) May 10, 2022
Brooks wasn’t alone in struggling on jumpers: Jaren Jackson Jr. was 0-of-7 on 3-point attempts.
With no Ja Morant, the Grizzlies had to adjust their offense, and Morant had scored 34 and 47 points in consecutive games. Replacing that production is not simple, even for a team that had gone 20-5 without Morant in the regular season.
But one has to imagine Memphis would have liked to see sharpshooter Desmond Bane take more than four 3s in his 37 minutes.
Brooks did add eight assists to help his team, but he made several key turnovers in the second half that helped the Warriors stay in the game.
While basketball observers across the internet criticized Brooks’ play, his teammates had his back in postgame comments.
“Keep shooting. We live and die with him,” Kyle Anderson said.
Dillon Brooks has single-handedly wrecked Memphis tonight and it’s crazy that Jenkins has kept him on the floor
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) May 10, 2022
I’m baffled Taylor Jenkins played Dillon Brooks for 39 minutes. What’s the point of having such a deep bench if you’re leaving a shot-chucker out there? There were other options. Brooks made so many terrible choices and shots that helped the Grizzlies lose a winnable game.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) May 10, 2022
dillon brooks tonight: pic.twitter.com/MlWABFUlCt
— Molly Morrison (@mollyhannahm) May 10, 2022