The Cleveland Cavaliers faced the Memphis Grizzlies very recently as Donovan Mitchell’s side took the win. Ja Morant and Desmond Bane were the best players for the Grizzlies after making 24 and 25 points respectively. Darius Garland was the standout player for the Cavs on the night, with 32 points, 11 assists, and 2 rebounds.
One might wonder why Donovan Mitchell was absent from the late stages of the game or why he could not make a significant impact. The main reason for that would be the Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks. The pair had an ugly altercation in the third quarter that saw them both get ejected instantly.
Donovan Mitchell goes after Dillon Brooks after a low blow pic.twitter.com/p9vH4nuAQy
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) February 3, 2023
As Dillon Brooks attempted to drive to the rim for a layup with around 5 minutes 40 seconds on the clock, Mitchell and Evan Mobley did well to defend him. Mitchell caught the rebound but fell to the ground when Brooks went for a low blow toward the Cavs star’s groin. This was it for Mitchell, who did not take any prisoners from that point onwards.
Donovan Mitchell believes Dillon Brooks resorts to ugly antics when he’s unable to guard his opponents
As mentioned earlier, both Mitchell and Brooks were ejected from the game right away. After all, basketball has no place for violence and the referees made sure of it on the night. After the game, the media got around and asked the Cavs star about the incident. Donovan said, “Him and I have had our personal battles for years, quite frankly I have been busting his a** for years, playoffs, regular season… This has been brewing for years, with me, and with other guys in the league. This isn’t new, tonight was just the end of it.”
Too many quotes, you’ve got to watch the whole thing.
Donovan Mitchell goes directly at Dillon Brooks in his postgame press conference. Must listen. @basketbllnews pic.twitter.com/m8CSeVedGW
— Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) February 3, 2023
“It’s tough, you can’t guard somebody and can’t do something to somebody and you gotta resort to that and that’s what he’s done to a lot of players,” Mitchell added.
As Mitchell said, this was not the first time Brooks has got into it with other players or even spectators for that matter. A while ago, he was involved in an altercation with Shannon Sharpe, who eventually ended up apologizing for the incident. Donovan Mitchell believes Brooks has to be hit with some sort of repercussion for his antics during the game. The NBA has not commented on the incident as of now.
