On Friday, the two best teams in the Western Conference will go head-to-head. The Oklahoma City Thunder will travel to take on the Houston Rockets, although the Thunder have already solidified their status as by far the best team in the West.
However, they will get an additional advantage on Friday, as Houston will be without a key role player who simply can't stay out of trouble. Dillon Brooks has been suspended for the matchup.
Last week, Brooks went viral for getting in the face of Kevin Durant, although that was good for only his 15th technical foul of the season. On Wednesday, he earned his 16th of the season against the Utah Jazz.
"Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks has been suspended one game without pay for receiving his 16th technical foul of the 2024-25 season, it was announced today by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations," the league announced in a statement.
"Under NBA rules, a player or coach is automatically suspended without pay for one game once he receives his 16th technical foul during a regular season. For every two additional technical fouls received during that regular season, the player or coach will be automatically suspended without pay for an additional game."
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Brooks leads the league in technical fouls this season.
The Thunder are 2-1 against the Rockets so far this season and will enter Friday's game as heavy favorites. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM CST and will, weirdly, not be nationally televised.
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This story was originally published April 3, 2025 at 1:15 PM.