Dillon Brooks Suspended for Grizzlies vs. Rockets After Receiving 18th Technical Foul

Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks has developed a reputation for his trash talk, but he took things too far in Monday's win over the Dallas Mavericks, and he's set to pay for it.

The NBA announced that Brooks will be suspended one game after receiving his 18th technical foul of the season in the third quarter of Memphis' 112-108 victory. Players are automatically suspended when they reach 16 technical fouls and again for every two subsequent infractions.

Brooks will serve his suspension during Wednesday's game against the Houston Rockets. It's his second suspension of the year after he was banned for one game in early February following an altercation with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell. He incurred the technical foul on Monday when he taunted the Mavericks bench following a dunk.

Brooks has seen both his scoring and his efficiency drop slightly this season. He's averaging 14.2 points on 39.1 percent shooting compared to last year's average of 18.4 points on 43.2 percent from the field.

However, offense isn't Brooks' main contribution to Memphis. He's the team's most reliable wing defender, and he's embraced his ability to get under the skin of his opponents by incorporating trash talk into his defensive strategy. The 27-year-old most notably has developed a personal rivalry with the defending-champion Golden State Warriors, namely star players Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

While the Grizzlies will miss Brooks' defense and energy, they are hoping star point guard Ja Morant will be able to return on Wednesday after serving an eight-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the league. He was seen on a live stream holding what appeared to be a gun in a Denver nightclub in the early hours on March 4.

At 44-27 entering the matchup against the Rockets, the Grizzlies are well on their way to their second straight Southwest Division title.