Dillon Brooks is ejected on a Flagrant 2, Jordan Ott says ‘I hope reputation doesn’t play into that,’ and two more flopping technicals make it 12 this season

Dillon Brooks was having one of his best nights as a Sun when it ended early. The Phoenix forward had 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including 4 of 6 from three, in 21 minutes on Friday, Oct. 30, when he was ejected with 8:05 left in the third quarter of a 127-120 home loss to Denver in the teams’ NBA Cup group opener.

Brooks had turned for a fadeaway jumper with Jamal Murray guarding him and, on the follow-through, his right leg swung out and caught Murray below the belt. Murray went down and stayed on the floor for several moments. The play was first called an offensive foul on Brooks. The referees then reviewed it and upgraded it to a Flagrant 2, meaning they judged the contact both unnecessary and excessive, which carries an automatic ejection. Murray made one of the two free throws for an 85-76 Denver lead and finished with 39 points, hitting 7 of 9 threes.

"I hope reputation doesn't play into that."

Jordan Ott reacts to Dillon Brooks being ejected for appearing to kick Jamal Murray below the belt on the follow-through of a shot attempt. pic.twitter.com/GQE6BSWzEI

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) October 31, 2026

Ott and Bridges: is it the play or the player?

Phoenix coach Jordan Ott did not argue that the contact was clean, but he questioned how much Brooks’ history weighed on the call. “I hope reputation doesn’t play into that,” he said after the game. Miles Bridges, who led the Suns with 24 points and 10 rebounds, went further. “I feel like if it was anyone else but Dillon doing that, he wouldn’t have gotten ejected, but he has a name in this league,” Bridges said. “He’s the ’villain’ of this league.”

"That's one of the toughest offenses in the NBA. Try to take one thing away from them. You got Jamal hitting crazy shots."

Miles Bridges as Jamal Murray scored 39 (7-of-9 from 3) in Suns loss to Nuggets.

On Dillon Brooks flagrant 2 ejection: "I feel like if it was anyone else… pic.twitter.com/QE8lHym94L

— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) October 31, 2026

The league office reviews every flagrant foul after the game and can keep it, downgrade it to a Flagrant 1 or a common foul, or add a fine or suspension. A shooter kicking a leg out into a defender is already treated as an offensive foul under the league’s rules, and the question for the review is whether Brooks’ kick was a natural part of the shot or something more. Brooks, who joined Phoenix in the Kevin Durant trade in 2025, has a long record with the league office, from flagrant fouls to technicals, and has been suspended before. As of Saturday afternoon in Cairo, the league had not announced any change to the call or any discipline.

Two more flopping technicals

Friday’s 10 games, the first night of NBA Cup group play, also brought two more flopping technicals, according to the play-by-play. With 1:24 left in the first quarter in San Francisco, with the Lakers up 34-14, Jarred Vanderbilt was called for a flop after Al Horford drove into him and stepped on his foot. Lakers fans argued that the stumble was real, since replays showed Horford’s foot landing on Vanderbilt’s. Brandon Williams made the free throw, and Golden State came all the way back to win 112-95, as covered in our story on the Warriors’ comeback.

In Phoenix, Suns guard Jordan Goodwin was called for a flop with 18.7 seconds left in the first half, and Murray made the free throw to put Denver up 71-67. Goodwin was also the player who replaced Brooks after the ejection.

That brings the season total to 12 flopping technicals called on the floor in the first 11 nights, by our count, after 10 through Thursday. That pace is already far above last season, when Portland coach Micah Nori noted that only 27 flops were called in 2,000 games. For the full list and the five calls on Oct. 27, see our flopping tracker. The league still had not announced a ruling on Ja Morant’s appeal of his Oct. 27 flop or any new postgame flopping fines as of Saturday.

Friday’s other calls the league will look at

Game	Time	Call
Nuggets at Suns	3rd, 8:05	Flagrant 2 on Dillon Brooks (PHX), ejected after review
Nuggets at Suns	2nd, 0:18.7	Flopping technical on Jordan Goodwin (PHX)
Lakers at Warriors	1st, 1:24	Flopping technical on Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL)
Hornets at Wizards	4th, 11:14	Flagrant 1 on Trae Young (WAS)
Magic at Raptors	1st, 5:59	Double technical on RJ Barrett (TOR) and Desmond Bane (ORL)
Rockets at Mavericks	3rd and 4th	Replay Center used Court iQ to change a Zaccharie Risacher two into a three, then to confirm a goaltending call on Houston

In Toronto, Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic called the free-throw gap in a 121-114 loss to Orlando “kind of BS” after Scottie Barnes scored a career-high 41 points on 34 shots but went to the line only three times. Orlando shot 29 free throws to Toronto’s 15. The league often fines coaches for public criticism of officiating, usually a day or two later. We covered the game in our story on Barnes’ 41.

Two of Friday’s games were within three points in the last two minutes and will get a Last Two Minute report on Saturday evening, U.S. time: Philadelphia’s 98-93 win over the Knicks and Dallas’ 116-111 win over Houston, the Rockets’ first loss, as covered in our Mavericks-Rockets recap. The Nuggets-Suns game was not close enough for a report, so the Brooks call will be judged only by the league’s flagrant review. For how coaches are using their own replay tool this season, see our look at the first 82 challenges, and follow every league-wide story on our Around the league page.