MANILA, Philippines – Dillon Brooks really embraced the villain role in Canada’s 100-89 FIBA World Cup quarterfinal victory over crowd darlings Slovenia Wednesday.
Showered with boos even before the game started at the Mall of Asia Arena, Brooks took it upon himself to closely defend Slovenia superstar Luka Doncic for almost the whole game.
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Every time he held the ball, the crowd jeered the Houston Rocket, supposedly because of his various feuds among popular NBA players.
He likewise taunted the crowd after his shots, blowing kisses to the largely pro-Slovenia audience, which just amplified their boos.
But the scrappy forward had the last laugh as he hit a dagger 3-pointer that kept Canada on the driver's seat, 92-76, with 7:06 remaining in the game.
Brooks, however, was ejected after receiving his disqualifying second technical foul.
This, after trash-talking his defender, Bine Prepelic, and mean-mugging.
A video posted by Canadian sports network Sportsnet on X (formerly Twitter,) showed Brooks waiting for his teammates at the tunnel with boxing gloves on while shadow boxing.
Dillon Brooks was waiting in the tunnel with boxing gloves after being ejected from Canada vs. Slovenia ????
(via @Sportsnet, @CanBball) pic.twitter.com/YRtCnTwjjH— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 6, 2023
He finished the game with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, adding three rebounds, three assists and a steal.
For his part, Canada head coach Jordi Fernandez Torres said that Brooks "has to be better."
“We need him on the court. He cannot get disqualified," Fernandez told reporters at the post-game press conference.
Fernandez, however, lauded Brooks' defense.
"We got to have better composure. After that, I think he's the best defender with Lu Dort, the best perimeter defender in this competition," he said.
"I think today, it was a defensive clinic of leading with his chest, showing his hands and pressuring full court. And, if you don't think that way, then you don't like basketball.”
Fernandez and the rest of Team Canada will bank on Brooks’ defensive tenacity anew as they face Serbia in the semifinals on Friday.