Dillon Brooks Calls Out SGA's Thunder, 'There's A Lot of Foul-Baiters' and Suns Will 'Steal Game 1'

Phoenix Suns wing Dillon Brooks is confident his team can turn the tables on the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs.

Following Friday's 111-96 victory over the Golden State Warriors, Brooks told Prime Video's Taylor Rooks the Suns are "going to go out there and steal Game 1."

He also had some pointed remarks about the reigning champions.

"There are a lot of foul-baiters on that team, so we gotta show our hands," Brooks said. "I hope it's the real playoffs. They calling too many calls. Show your hands. We gotta follow the scout. Funnel them in the paint. Be able to have our rotations proper because they shoot it great at home. There's a reason they're the No. 1 team in the NBA."

As a team, the Thunder only ranked 17th in average free-throw attempts (23.2), and they drew the ninth-most fouls (20.4) per game.

However, there's a general perception that OKC, particularly star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, makes a concerted effort to get to the charity stripe. Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA in made free throws (7.9 per game) for the third straight year.

In three meetings with Phoenix during the regular season, the MVP candidate scored 90 total points and went 25-of-29 on free throws.

Thunder-Suns Full Highlights

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Brooks, meanwhile, picked up five fouls twice while playing Oklahoma City.

Beyond taking a shot at the Suns' playoff opponent, he may have been adopting a tactic plenty of coaches utilize at this time of the year.

Complaining about the officiating is a well-worn approach. Whether the critiques have merit or not, they're an attempt for a coach to tip the scales in his team's favor.

Brooks' interview was effectively an opening salvo.

Even if the officials tasked with working the series are unmoved, fans might pay a little closer attention to how the games are called.