Dillon Brooks ejected for groin kick to Jamal Murray in NBA Cup opener

Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks was ejected from Friday night's NBA Cup game against the Denver Nuggets after officials ruled his kick to Jamal Murray's groin a Flagrant 2 foul. The incident occurred in the third quarter with 8:05 remaining when Brooks attempted a turnaround jumper while Murray guarded him. As Brooks fell backward, he kicked his right leg forward, making contact with Murray below the belt. Officials initially called an offensive foul but upgraded the penalty to Flagrant 2 after review, resulting in an automatic ejection.

Brooks was leading the Suns in scoring with 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting in just 20 minutes when he was ejected. He had scored 12 points in the first quarter on 5-of-7 shooting and 20 points by halftime with four made three-pointers. Murray, who finished with a game-high 39 points, remained in the game after the contact and stated postgame that he did not believe the kick was intentional. "He's shooting the ball. I mean, he might have flopped a little bit, but I don't think he's really trying to kick me," Murray said. Murray and Brooks are teammates on Canada's national basketball team.

The Suns lost the game 127-120 to the Nuggets. At the time of Brooks' ejection, Phoenix trailed 84-76. The incident drew mixed reactions from fans on social media, with some criticizing the severity of the penalty given Brooks' performance and others supporting the ejection. Brooks has a history of physical play and disciplinary issues throughout his NBA career, though he had committed only three common fouls prior to the ejection on Friday.