Dillon Brooks invites trouble on his return! The usual suspect’s early antics tonight may end up costly for the Phoenix Suns, as the team’s little advantage over the Play-In contenders hangs on a thin thread. 89 seconds into their matchup against the Orlando Magic, Villian Dillon collected two fouls and a technical foul. That will be his 17th tech this season.

With Brooks collecting his 17th technical foul, it’s worth examining the NBA’s rulebook to see if a suspension is imminent.

No, Dillon Brooks won’t serve a suspension for his 17th technical foul; he would instead pay a fine of $5,000. You might wonder how Luka Doncic ended up missing a game while Brooks gets away with a fine. That’s what the rules say. So, according to NBA playing rules, a player would serve a one-game suspension after their 16th foul and a fine on the 17th foul.

Following the 16th tech, the league would suspend the player for one game for every subsequent two techs. Which means the league would suspend Dillon Brooks if he gets his 18th tech. And yes, he was suspended after the 16th foul on February 19th. Moreover, in the following game against the Magic, he fractured his left arm and missed the next 18 games.

On his return against the same team, just over a minute into the first quarter, the ref blew the whistle and slapped a tech on Brooks for hollering at Paolo Banchero. It’s understood that Villain Dillon wasn’t impressed by the turnover the Magic forced on the previous play.

Before one could blink, the ref handed out two more techs, Devin Booker and Desmond Bane each, as they tangled up, exchanging words during the brief pause. The latter techs may or may not have affected the game’s result (Magic sealed a tight win), but Dillon Brooks’ tech might ultimately doom the Suns’ playoff hopes.

Are the Suns in trouble as Dillon Brooks flirts with suspension?

In the absence of Jalen Green, almost everyone wrote off the Suns from even making the top 10. It left the Suns with the same issue that they intended to fix in the offseason: a strong backcourt. However, Dillon Brooks emerged out of nowhere, producing a career-best season, averaging 20.7 ppg.

The team’s success was heavily dependent on the lethal forward’s presence in the lineup. During his 18 games out, the team maintained a 9-9 record. His impact is clear, as the Suns’ record is 30-21 when he plays. So, with only 6 games left and holding the 7th seed, the Suns can’t really gamble with suspensions.

The LA Clippers and Trail Blazers are only 3 and 3.5 games behind the Suns. Losing a streak of games could drag the Suns down to the 9th seed, leaving them no choice but to win 2 games to reach the playoffs. Hence, Brooks may need to slow down his methods in the next 6 games to secure the team’s playoff spot.