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Grizzlies wing Dillon Brooks can expect a hefty fine this week for tearing into officials after his team’s loss to the Warriors on Christmas Day. Brooks had a major issue with the officiating and specifically cited Klay Thompson’s aggressively taunting him and said referees allowed him to do it.
After Thompson drilled a jumper over Brooks to extend Golden State’s lead to 16 points with 3:41 to play in the game, he crouched and aggressively taunted Brooks, who was on the ground. Thompson was assessed a technical foul for taunting.
“Refs let it happen,” Brooks said, per The Daily Memphian’s Drew Hill. “He was doing it all game. Then they want to catch the bad guy. That’s wack to me. F----- up calls and putting the wrong guys at the free throw line. It was a circus. Should have different refs.”
After the win, Thompson addressed the sequence and said it was just “some good old fashioned trash talk.” He also slammed those who labeled Memphis as a “dynasty,” although he didn’t specifically note who had said it. Brooks infamously referred to Memphis as a dynasty after beating Golden State at home this past March, and reportedly told Curry the same when the teams met in the conference semifinals.
“Man, they [were] talking about dynasty and all that. You can’t talk dynasty when you haven’t won before.” Thompson said. “I don’t think people realize how hard that is, the commitment and sacrifice it takes. You got to sacrifice your body, and I thought that was premature talk to even mention that word.”
Tension between the two teams has been building since last season. After the Warriors beat the Grizzlies in the Western Conference semis, Thompson said that Memphis forward Jaren Jackson poked fun at one of the team’s slogans, tweeting “Strength in numbers” and using it as motivation when facing the team.
Grizzlies star Ja Morant also appeared to take a shot at the whole Western Conference last week when he was asked which teams he’ll have to run through to win an NBA title this year. Morant only said the Celtics, and when asked about Western Conference opponents, he said, “Nah, I’m fine in the West.” Thompson said he didn’t see the interview.
The Grizzlies (20–12) are currently No. 3 in the conference. The reigning-champion Warriors (16–18) are the No. 11 seed as they try to stay in the playoff race while Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins are sidelined with injuries.
