The Suns’ narrow 114-113 win over the Timberwolves on Friday was thrilling on the scoreboard, but off the court, Dillon Brooks found himself in hot water yet again. The league’s head of basketball operations, James Jones, announced Saturday that Brooks had been slapped with a five-figure fine, marking the second time this week the forward had swiped his card through the NBA’s disciplinary system. The cause? Brooks lost his cool after a heated back-and-forth with Minnesota players, even as they had been tossing some NSFW language around first.

It all started in the closing stretch, with Brooks putting up a team-high 22 points to rally the Suns from an 113-105 deficit. He fouled out with just 18 seconds left, but the sparks flew earlier. LegendZ shared the leaked audio on X, explaining the entire incident. Wolves’ Naz Reid wasn’t holding back: “Bum a– n—-, suck my d—!” To which Brooks fired back coolly at first: “You sorry.”

Reid doubled down: “I’m not scared of some Toronto n—.” Even Julius Randle shouted, “Where’s security?” Brooks eventually lost patience, stepping into the fray and confronting the players. When the referee intervened, asking him to stop, Brooks fired back: “I am not saying nothing. He called me a p—. What do you expect? The f—.” The game continued, and tensions simmered. 

In the third quarter, as the Suns tried to claw their way back, Anthony Edwards of the Timberwolves got involved, making sure to taunt Brooks after a three-pointer: “That n—- can’t guard me, bring your a— up here!”

Despite the verbal sparring, the Suns held on, completing a remarkable comeback for their seventh win in eight games. Brooks’ fine highlights the NBA’s stance: even if opposing players curse first, losing your composure and engaging in confrontations with both players and officials comes with a hefty price. 

Brooks addressed the incident afterward, saying with a sly confidence, “Yeah, they were talking too early. And I love that when guys get too confident and once the pressure starts heating up, their eyes start getting big and they start getting scared and the person who was talking too much made two turnovers and missed a shot.”

Against the Wolves, Brooks was all over the court, dropping 22 points, five boards, and two steals in 37 minutes, doing his thing while Deandre Booker hit the foul trouble wall and racked up nine turnovers, his season-high, struggling under Jaden McDaniels’ shadow.

But here’s the wild part: Booker’s exit could’ve been the death knell for Phoenix, yet it sparked chaos instead. In the final 70 seconds, the Suns clawed back from eight down thanks to Wolves’ miscues, three turnovers, and Edwards missing two clutch free throws and snatched the win in a whirlwind finish. 

It was the only comeback he felt he needed against Reid and Edwards, part ‘it is what it is’ and part amusement at the chaos. You could almost picture Brooks grinning a little, maybe even a bit giddy, not overly bothered about writing that $35,000 check to the league. 

Dillon Brooks’ fines keep stacking up

Dillon Brooks’ wallet got another workout after Friday’s 114-113 win over the Timberwolves, as the Suns forward was slapped with a $35,000 fine for “confronting and directing inappropriate language toward game officials.”

It’s the fifth time this season Brooks has been fined, showing that while he can pour in points on the court, he’s just as quick to draw the NBA’s attention off it. Earlier this month, Brooks was hit with $25,000 for making a lewd gesture during Phoenix’s 133-98 win over the Pacers, despite scoring 32 points in the game. 

Brooks’ history with fines goes back further. Back in 2023, a collision and shove toward a courtside cameraman during a Heat game cost him another $35,000, with the cameraman needing medical attention afterward. Across his nine-year career, Brooks has racked up over $400,000 in fines, making him one of the NBA’s most expensive hotheads.