Donovan Mitchell blasted Dillon Brooks for cheap s*** after the Memphis Grizzlies forward hit him below the belt during Thursday’s game.
Both players were ejected from the Cavs-Grizzlies matchup in the third quarter after they sparked a skirmish that had to be broken up by players and staff from both sides.
Brooks missed a shot and threw his arm back which connected with Mitchell’s groin as he fell to the floor causing the Cleveland star to retaliate.
Following the game, Mitchell, who has been been dealing with a groin injury this season, claimed Brooks had a reputation for playing dirty.
‘That’s who he is,’ he said in his postgame press conference. ‘We’ve seen it a bunch in this league with him.
Donovan Mitchell (right) claimed Dillon Brooks (left) had a reputation for playing dirty
Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins tries to help break the fight along with other staffers
‘He and I have had our personal battles for years. Quite frankly, I’ve been busting his a** for years. Playoffs, regular season. The one game he does an alright job on me today, he does something like that. There’s no place for that in the game and you’ve got to protect yourself at the end of the day.
‘This has been brewing for years, with me, with other guys in the league. You all see it. This isn’t new. Tonight was just the end of it.
‘It’s tough when you can’t guard somebody and can’t do something with somebody, you gotta resort to that and that’s what he’s done to a lot of players.’
Mitchell also admitted trash talk was part of the game but drew the line at ‘cheap s***’.
‘This has happened to other players throughout this league, and it’s bulls*** if I’m being honest with you,’ he added.
‘It’s complete bulls***. It’s one thing, you know, you got Ja [Morant], you got [Desmond] Bane, you got Jaren Jackson. Those guys, they talk s*** and that’s fine, that’s all a part of basketball. We all grew up playing that way.
‘But when you start doing little cheap s***, that ain’t it.’
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he was proud of Mitchell for standing up for himself during the scuffle.
The Cleveland star and Brooks had to be separated during the game on Thursday night
Mitchell admitted trash talk was part of the game but drew the line at Brooks’s ‘cheap s***’
‘A guy should have the right to stand up for himself,’ Bickerstaff said following the game. ‘I thought Donovan did that. I’m proud of our guys.
‘We don’t have those guys that start s***, but we have guys who don’t run from s*** and you have to in this league.’
The drama unfolded when Brooks drove on Mitchell in the third quarter with the All-Star’s Cleveland teammate Evan Mobley forcing the Memphis wing into a miss.
Brooks ended up on the ground near Mitchell, and hit the guard below the belt before Mitchell retaliated and threw the ball at his opponent.
Related Post
Mitchell then shoved Brooks – who had at this point gotten to his feet – before people from both sides intervened and Brooks was tackled by a Grizzlies staffer.
Head ref Tony Brothers announced shortly after that the players had been ejected from the contest.
It’s not the first time Brooks has been involved in an altercation of late.
Postgame Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he was proud of Mitchell for standing up for himself
The forward exchanged words with Fox Sports personality Shannon Sharpe as the Grizzlies faced the Lakers in Los Angeles, with the broadcaster having to be restrained as he got into it with Ja Morant and Steven Adams as well.
‘It does not matter what Dillon Brooks said, or how many times he said it, me being the responsible person, me having the platform that I have, having so many people look up to me, I was wrong. I should have lowered the temperature in the arena, but I turned the temperature up and I let it get out of hand,’ Sharpe said in on-air apology afterwards.
Holding a five-point lead in before they lost Mitchell, the Cavs actually extended their advantage with their best player out, going on to win 128-113 against the West’s No. 2 seed.
Darius Garland ended with 32 points in the win over the Grizzlies, who were without big men Steven Adams and Jaren Jackson Jr.
