Michael Jordan famously had his “flu game” in the 1997 NBA Finals and now Dillon Brooks had a T-shirt game in a 114-96 win against the Detroit Pistons on Thursday.
With the first 5,000 fans receiving “Dillon The Villain” Star Wars-themed shirts, Brooks gave them a show fitting of his moniker, with 40 points on 13-of-22 shooting.
Brooks made it a career scoring night with 1:54 remaining in the third quarter, hitting both free throws after being fouled on a drive by Pistons’ Ronald Holland II to reach 38 points.
The 6-foot-7 Oregon Duck had been stuck on 37 points since doing so on Dec. 19, 2021 with the Memphis Grizzlies against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Brooks was 4 for 7 from 3-point range and a 10 for 12 from the free-throw line. The forward also added eight rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal while only committing a single turnover.
His lights-out play on the offensive end of the floor at Mortgage Matchup Center contributed to Phoenix Suns (29-19) grabbing a 72-56 halftime lead over the league’s hottest team.
Brooks’ defense was notably smothering against Detroit (34-12) star Cade Cunningham late in the second quarter, as he helped force a miss and eventually grabbed a second-chance shot attempt by Tobias Harris.
He took it the other way and knocked down an 11-foot fading jumper.
T-shirt game?
Suns’ Dillon Brooks scored 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the first half on Thursday against the Detroit Pistons, highlighted by a transition fade jumper late in the second quarter.
The first 5,000 fans at the game received “Dillon The Villain” shirts. pic.twitter.com/hMqctSAZJ4
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) January 30, 2026
His season high was 34 points in a two-point loss to the Atlanta Hawks in November, and he has scored at least 20 points in 23 games. Brooks has eclipsed the 30-point mark four times in 42 games.
Collin Gillespie, who had 16 points on five made 3s after being a game-time decision, took a moment in a postgame interview to endorse Brooks for a spot in the 2026 NBA All-Star game.
Suns teammate Ryan Dunn may have contributed to the good vibes for Brooks, as the second-year pro was seen pregame rocking a cutoff version of the specialty shirt.
The Suns take on the Cleveland Cavaliers (29-20) on Friday at 7 p.m. for the second of back-to-back games during their five-game home stand. Cleveland won the first meeting on New Year’s Eve.