The Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, Dec. 14, was rather a close one. After nearly blowing a 20-point lead, the Lakers squeezed a 116-114 win at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. It was one of the most thrilling matchups this season, especially when Dillon Brooks hit a three-pointer with only 12.2 seconds to go. However, Brooks was handed a technical foul after bumping into James while trying to taunt the veteran.
James went ahead to shoot the technical free-throw but missed the first one. However, he nailed the next two after getting fouled by Devin Booker at the three-point line with only three seconds remaining. Lakers head coach JJ Redick was rather surprised seeing James shooting the technical free-throw, as he thought it should have been Luka Doncic up the line.
“Guys were out on the court, Luka and I talked, I thought Luka was gonna shoot it, I walked back (to the bench), LeBron was on the free throw line and shot it. I don’t know what the dialogue on the court was,” said Redick.
This season, Doncic is hitting 81.1% of his free throws while James is hitting just 61.9% from the foul line. Redick added:
“Early in the season, we kind of designated who’s gonna shoot the technicals. Every team is different. Sometimes it’s the superstar, sometimes it’s the best free-throw shooter, sometimes it’s the guy who maybe needs to see the ball go into the basket. It’s all situational. But Luka should have shot that.”
JJ thought Luka was gonna shoot the technical ft pic.twitter.com/FbhhSmvPPf
— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) December 15, 2025
On Sunday, James and Doncic finished with 26 and 29 points, respectively. James went 9-of-14 from the charity stripe and had a game-saving block against Grayson Allen. On the other hand, while Doncic made 13 of his 14 free throws, he struggled shooting from the field, making just seven of his 25 shots.
This game was nothing less than a dramatic finish for the Lakers. However, James has no regrets about taking Doncic’s spot for the technical free throws, as the Lakers eventually won. When he was asked for a response to Redick’s comments, James replied:
“Why wouldn’t I? I would have been okay with Luka taking it too. We’ve both been in pressure situations but I just took it. Unfortunately, I missed it but I made up for it.”
As of now, the Lakers are at the top of the Western Conference Pacific, with the Suns standing second. They will next face the Utah Jazz on the road.
LeBron James’ Furious Meltdown Vs. Phoenix Suns
The game between the Lakers and the Suns was definitely one for the books. However, LeBron James seemed to have lost his cool against Dillon Brooks, who is infamous for getting under the skin of rookies and superstars alike.
In the third quarter of the game, Brooks attacked the lane while James remained tight on defense. Luka Doncic committed a foul but the play did not just stop. Brooks swatted the loose ball back towards James, which made the four-time champion flip his switch.
James appeared furious, screaming in Brooks’ face while the officials and Lakers players tried to pull him away. James tried breaking, turning towards a referee and shouting at him while grabbing his arm in protest. This is something unlikely for the King to do, but guess everybody loses their cool when someone gets into their nerves.
Throughout the game, the tensions between Brooks and James seemed high. But the Lakers managed to square for a win, with James saying, “We was able to get the last laugh,” in the post-game conference.
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