PHOENIX– Eight games in, and Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green got their retribution. That was after the Phoenix Suns took down the Houston Rockets, 102-99, on Saturday.
Leading up to the game, Brooks was involved in a social media feud with Kevin Durant. Some thought that story would be a costly distraction.
Safe to say it wasn't, as both Brooks and Green had other plans. The latter was barking at the Houston bench through the first quarter. His teammate did so, but in a rather unconventional way that was different from his usual self.
Nonetheless, it prompted Brooks to cautiously walk the fine line of using his intensity in a fruitful manner.
“I was whispering, s**t-talking to other guys, trying to communicate and let the refs know that I'm a passionate player, even though it's year 10,” he joked in the locker room postgame.
I'm a passionate player. I apologize for yelling. When I'm alone with a player, I just say what I need to say, play with that physicality, and use it against them as well.”
Dillon Brooks on how he made sure not to cross the line against Kevin Durant and his former team:
“I was whispering, shit-talking to other guys, trying to communicate and let the refs know that I'm a passionate player, even though it's year 10. I'm a passionate player. I… pic.twitter.com/ySnWj9ImnQ
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 8, 2026
The adjective, passion, is an important one. For all the dap ups and laughs before the game, as soon as that ball was tipped in the air, it was go-time for both Suns players.
Green was matched up on a few different players, such as Fred VanVleet and Amen Thompson for stints. His athleticism proved to be too much once he got to the second level.
Plenty of straight line drives to the basket and using his bounce truly helped. Then going back to Brooks, his physicality against Durant played a role in limiting him to 21 points, and only one shot attempt in the first half.
Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks wanted this Suns win
Every win in the NBA matters, but there was some extra juice for both men. They didn't have a win against Houston last season, and Brooks himself had four consecutive losses while Green has two.
It felt as if the Rockets overmatched the Suns during that time, but Saturday didn't look to be that way. This looked like the 2025-26 rendition of “Suns basketball” people are accustomed to seeing.
Unlike his counterpart, Green was an open door to trash talking. He invited it, but simmered down as the game progressed. Much like Brooks, he stood on that line of intensity and cautious walked across.
Article Continues Below“Obviously, it's a balance. You want to come out and play hard regardless, especially with all the emotions out there,” Green shared postgame. “Our crowd always shows up, but you felt the energy a little bit more tonight.
We just stay locked in and engaged. That's the biggest part. The end goal is to come out with a win, so you try to push that limit a little bit just to see what we can get away with, but still be smarter about it.”
Jalen Green spoke to me about managing the emotions and intensity of tonight's game, but not going over the edge.
"Obviously, it's a balance. You want to come out and play hard regardless, especially with all the emotions out there. Our crowd always shows up, but you felt the… pic.twitter.com/QvcefseqBv
— Hayden Cilley (@HaydenCilley) November 8, 2026
This is one of those marquee wins Phoenix has sought after this season.They built a 19-point lead in the second quarter and nearly squandered it all away. Still, it was enough for them to come up with right now, would be an upset win.
A sweet concotion of 48 minutes of defense, tough shot-making, and that gritty nastiness the Suns have was ever present. The box score might not show it, but that emotion Brooks and Green had coming into the arena was a significant boost.