LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers had extra motivation heading into Game 3 tonight. Playing his first playoff game in front of a full-capacity Crypto.com arena, Dillon Brooks gave the crowd something additional to look forward to.
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The Lakers split the games in Memphis, and made their way back to LA to host the Grizzlies tonight. After their practice yesterday, Bron said he stays away from all of this, but no one really believed him. Before the game started, LeBron and Brooks were seen engaging in a small chat.
Bron and the Lakers showed their motivation right from the start. They led the Grizzlies 35-9 at the end of the first quarter. The Lakers built a lead as large as 29 points, but the Grizzlies weren’t done yet. They ended the first half on a 10-0 run. To start the 3rd quarter, Brooks was a little too energized.
Skip Bayless cheers for Dillon Brooks’ ejection after he hit LeBron James
We’ve seen one week of playoff hoops and so far, we’ve seen three Flagrant 2 ejections. First, it was Draymond Green, then James Harden, and now Dillon Brooks. Starting the third quarter, Brooks tried a full-court press on LeBron James, and tried reaching for the ball. He missed his target and ended up hitting Bron in the groin.
LeBron James shaking up; Got hit by Dillon Brooks; groin area; pic.twitter.com/7bf2mHlxBV
— Oh no he didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) April 23, 2023
This was an excessive and unsportsmanlike play, and Brooks was assessed a Flagrant 2 Foul for it correctly.
Dillon Brooks ejected from the game; Flagrant 2 pic.twitter.com/WHxAWnDmpS
— Oh no he didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) April 23, 2023
Seeing the foul call, Skip Bayless, who had switched to the Davis-Garcia fight, came back to the Lakers game.
Dillon Brooks just caught LeBron with a reach-in shot to the midsection. LeBron writhed on the floor. Brooks ejected. Impossible to know what Brooks’ intent was. But it was a direct hit. Blood was bad. Get him outta there.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 23, 2023
After all his mockery, Skip Bayless cheering for LeBron/Lakers would never stop being a weird sight.
Can the Lakers beat the Grizzlies?
When the series started, Grizzlies had the upper hand on the sports betting books, but not by a lot. A huge reason for the same was the unavailability of Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke. However, after the Lakers got the split in Memphis, before Game 3 started in LA, the Lakers had the upper hand.
Grizzlies-Lakers series update from @FDSportsbook with Memphis star Ja Morant (hand) being cleared to play in Game 3 tonight: pic.twitter.com/VsDnNSyS8A
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 23, 2023
With the way the game is going, the Lakers will take the 2-1 lead tonight. How the series ends will all depend on whether the Lakers can maintain this intensity going forward, and how the Grizzlies respond.
