Dillon Brooks offered a short-but-direct explanation for the late-game scuffle between Houston Rockets and Warriors players in Game 5 of their first-round Western Conference playoff matchup Wednesday night at Toyota Center.
"He's talking too much," Brooks said of Warriors guard Pat Spencer after Houston's 131-116 win over Golden State (h/t Space City Home Network).
Brooks sat at the podium next to Rockets center Alperen Şengün, who also was involved in the physical altercation but didn't comment on the incident. Instead, he let Brooks explain and smirked at his response.
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The game was well over before the clock read 0:00 as the Rockets led by as many as 31 points. Warriors coach Steve Kerr cleared his bench and pulled his starters with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
But Golden State's second- and third-stringers built some momentum and managed to bring the game within 13 points with about five minutes remaining in the contest. And as the deficit decreased, the tension increased.
Midway through the final frame, Spencer was bumped by Şengün during a dead ball, who responded by headbutting the NBA All-Star. Warriors center Trayce Jackson-Davis immediately came to his teammate's defense, shoving Şengün away before players were separated.
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Officials reviewed the play and assessed offsetting technical fouls to Jackson-Davis and Şengün. Spencer received a technical foul and was ejected for an illegal headbutt.
In what already had been a heated previous four games between the two teams, that was no different for the Rockets against the Warriors' reserves.
And you can bet that will be the same for Game 6 at Chase Center as the Warriors look to close the series out and advance to the Western Conference semifinals.