LeBron James wasn’t in the mood to respond to inquiries regarding Dillon Brooks following Monday night’s 135-119 LA Lakers loss to the Houston Rockets. Prior to their last three games this year, as well as during their struggles in the 2023 NBA playoffs, LeBron has complimented Brooks on his competitive spirit.

Throughout his career, Brooks has made an effort to get under LeBron’s skin by calling him “old” and implying that he has “respect” for the NBA’s all-time top scorer. LeBron didn’t give those remarks much thought at the time. He still held some respect for his opponent despite their fierce matchups.

On Monday night, though, things were quite different. LeBron responded with a single word and declined to address Brooks.

LeBron said to Lakers beat writer Dave McMenamin, “Next question,” before he could finish his inquiry.

LeBron’s silence might have been caused by a number of things, such as the Lakers’ defeat and the Rockets player clipping him in the head. In the game’s fourth quarter, Brooks smacked LeBron on a box out and was called for a flagrant one penalty.

LeBron James was also made fun of by Dillon Brooks after he made a thought-jump shot over the Lakers star. After Brooks appeared to ridicule LeBron for missing free throws that he was awarded due to the flagrant foul levied on the Rockets guard, the back and forth continued.

According to Anthony Davis, Dillon Brooks ought to have been sent off for fouling LeBron James.

During the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets game on Monday, Dillon Brooks made headlines for all the wrong reasons. In the second quarter, Brooks and Jarred Vanderbilt got into a fight. He gave him a box out and teased him.

Taking the bait, Vanderbilt gave Brooks a slap on the back of his head. Brooks may have committed a flagrant foul when he shoved Vanderbilt in the back shortly before that incident, but it wasn’t called.

Another instance was Brooks teasing LeBron James following a jump shot and a blow to the head. The flagrant should have been called on the play against Vanderbilt and LeBron, Lakers center Anthony Davis told reporters, but Brooks avoided a potential ejection.

After being prompted by Brooks, Davis defended Vanderbilt, saying “he did what he had to.” Brooks’s risk paid off as well. Due to this occurrence early in the game, the Lakers were having trouble on defense and lost their greatest defender.

LeBron James attempted to mount a late-game charge, setting the stage for an unlikely victory. But the mountain was too steep for the Lakers to ascend, thus they were unsuccessful. Davis, D’Angelo Russell, and LeBron all had 23 points in the end.