Brooks Rallies Behind Thompson Amid Controversy: ‘Draymond is the Real Dirty Player’

Some have questioned if Houston’s Amen Thompson is a dirty player after Jimmy Butler from Golden State suffered an injury during a game, following a hard foul by Thompson where he took Butler’s legs out from under him.

Dillon Brooks, Thompson’s teammate, addressed the situation before Game 3. “No, I think the dirty player is Draymond (Green), giving him a little push as regular basketball players do. And Jimmy’s fighting in the air for a rebound; stuff happens. Amen’s not a dirty player. He has nothing to do with being a dirty player.”

Butler’s availability for Game 3 remains uncertain due to a pelvic contusion sustained during the Rockets’ 109-94 loss, which leveled the series at 1-1.

Brooks Addresses Focus

Brooks emphasized that they are not getting distracted by external opinions about them as they prepare for Game 3. “We’re not worried about that. We’re on to the next game, and we hope Jimmy can get better.”

Steve Kerr, Golden State’s head coach, stated he doesn’t believe Thompson acted with intent to injure Butler, mentioning during a post-game conference, “We didn’t think there was anything wrong with the play; it was just one of those plays.”

Ime Udoka, the head coach for Houston, also commented on the incident, asserting, “It’s obvious it wasn’t intentional. You don’t fall into somebody face-first on purpose.”

Additionally, Wednesday’s game featured a physical atmosphere, with multiple technical fouls issued to players from both teams. Houston’s Jalen Green received a flagrant foul for an aggressive act against Green’s face.

Udoka concluded, “Amen’s obviously not a dirty player. There’s a difference between aggressive, physical play and being dirty, and you could question some of their things as well on their end.”