Report: Grizzlies' Dillon Brooks Avoids Suspension for Foul on Lakers' LeBron James

The Memphis Grizzlies had to finish their Game 3 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers without one of their key pieces, but Dillon Brooks reportedly avoided further suspension.

The NBA decided not to suspend Brooks for Monday's Game 4 because of his actions during the Lakers' 111-101 win in Saturday's contest, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. He was issued a flagrant 2 foul and ejected in the third quarter of that game because he took a shot to LeBron James' groin area.

That the foul happened in the first matchup after Brooks talked plenty of trash about the King only added to the situation.

"He's old," Brooks told reporters when discussing James after the Grizzlies evened the series with a win in Game 2. "I poke bears. I don't respect someone until he gives me 40."

The Oregon product was rather demonstrative in his actions toward James in that Game 2 and even stared the Lakers star down at one point:

Yet the flagrant 2 foul put a potential suspension on the table, especially after the NBA already suspended Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green for one game in his team's series because he stomped on Sacramento Kings big man Domantas Sabonis.

"I'm not a part of that committee," James told reporters when asked if Brooks should be suspended. "If he's in the lineup, out of the lineup, we've got to prepare no matter what."

Memphis star Ja Morant believes Brooks' reputation played a role in the ejection, although the suspension he hinted at didn't come.

"With how they treat Dillon, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he is [suspended]," Morant said. "I felt like he was ejected because of past ejections made in games before. If you look at the play, he was actually reaching for the ball on a crossover. LeBron just went behind the back."

Brooks has developed a reputation as a trash talker who brings a physical style of play to the court. Yet that has also made him something of an antagonizer, and he already had a high-profile back-and-forth with Green earlier this season.

In March, Green used his podcast (8:51 mark) to say, "if you ever wondered why the Memphis Grizzlies is not ready to compete for a championship, look no further than this idiot right here."

This is not the first time someone has played the foil to James in such a way. Players such as Lance Stephenson, DeShawn Stevenson, Joakim Noah, Green and Paul Pierce have pushed the envelope with trash talking, and it rarely works out well for those who do.

It didn't work out well for the Grizzlies during a Game 3 loss as he finished with 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists, but Brooks will get another chance in Game 4 since he avoided a suspension.