$21,124,110 Suns Star Poked the Beard as James Harden Responded With Cold Reminder in Dominant Clippers Win

Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks has carved a reputation for being a trash talker on the court. While his tactics have successfully intimidated certain opposition players, LA Clippers guard James Harden wasn’t falling for his antics.

Harden led the Clippers to a 129-102 win against the Suns, their first win of the season. He spoke to the media after the game where he asserted that Brooks, who earns a base salary worth $21,124,110 according to Spotrac, tried and failed to intimidate him, instead it made him play better.

"That's how he gets himself going,” Harden said. “He tries to alter the things you're comfortable with, but it actually woke me up a little bit. Come on, let's go. We've been playing pick-up in the summer when I was in Phoenix."

Explore the NBA Draft 2024 with our free NBA Mock Draft Simulator & be the GM of your favorite NBA team.

The Clippers recovered from an opening night loss against the Utah Jazz against Phoenix. He recorded 30 points from 8-12 from the field, 5-7 from 3-point range and 9-9 from the free throw line. The Beard also chipped in with seven rebounds and seven assists.

The Suns failed to make it a perfect 2-0 with the loss. They were led by Brooks who finished with 21 points, three rebounds and two assists.

Next for the Clippers is a home game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. Phoenix, on the other hand, take the road to play the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.

---

What’s next for Phoenix Suns?

The Suns will look to return to winning when they face Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on Saturday. This will be the second game of a three-game road trip, and a difficult matchup, as they’ve lost to the Nuggets in their last two meetings.

Brooks spoke after the loss to the Clippers. He called out teammate Devin Booker, asking him to shoot more.

“He needs to shoot them even if it looks like a bad shot. I played against Devin for a long time,” Brooks said. “He's a natural scorer, finds ways to score. He just needs to be a little selfish out there.”

Phoenix will be without Jalen Green for the Nuggets matchup. He missed the opener against the Sacramento Kings as well as the Clippers’ loss. Tip-off is slated for 9 p.m. ET.

Edited by Ubong Richard