Dillon Brooks was up to his usual antics in the Kings' 107-89 loss to the Houston Rockets on Saturday at Toyota Center.
With the Rockets leading by 11 points in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, Brooks nailed a 3-pointer in front of the Kings' bench. He turned around and blew a kiss at Sacramento's reserves.
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There's not much the Kings could do in response. Brooks, who gave himself the nickname "Dillon the Villain" earlier this year, led the Rockets with 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting and added nine rebounds, one assist and one steal. He was a plus-25 in a team-high 38 minutes and helped put Sacramento away in the Rockets' 36-point fourth quarter.
The Kings play the Rockets again Monday at Toyota Center. But Sacramento coach Mike Brown doesn't plan to use Brooks' antics as fuel for revenge heading into the rematch.
"If I was Dillon tonight, I would’ve flexed too," Brown said. "I’m OK with that if he wants to do that. That shouldn’t motivate us to play harder come Monday. Our performance and us looking at ourselves in the mirror should want us to go play harder on both ends of the floor."
The Kings have lost two consecutive games without All-Star guard De'Aaron Fox, who is nursing an ankle injury suffered in Sacramento's 132-127 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Fox might be able to play Monday, as The Athletic's Shams Charania reported Friday, citing sources, that the star could return during the Kings' current three-game road trip.