Dillon Brooks Sparks Chaos, Gets Choked by Pistons Star 5 Minutes Into Opener

Over the course of his nine-year NBA career, Dillon Brooks has established himself as one of the most menacing figures on the hardwood. Not because he has a dominant style of play, but rather because he often gets under the skin of his opponents. Like Draymond Green and Patrick Beverley, Brooks is known as a tenacious player, but he often gets into fights because of his annoying tendencies.

On Monday, it seems that Brooks doesn't intend to change his demeanor anytime soon, as he immediately got into a fight in the Phoenix Suns' season opener against the Detroit Pistons.

During the first three minutes of the opening period, Brooks was trying to defend John Collins. Both players fought for the rebound after the Pistons' Isaiah Joe missed from beyond the arc, with Collins winning the bout. As Collins secured the rebound, Brooks attempted to poke the ball free with lots of contact.

A reaching foul was then called on Brooks. Unfortunately for him, Collins didn't appreciate the unnecessary contact, as he immediately retaliated by choking Brooks in the process. While choking the Suns forward, Collins had a lot to say to him. Thankfully, the situation was quickly de-escalated as their respective benches came to separate the two heated players.

Ultimately, Collins was assessed a flagrant foul, while Brooks received a technical foul. None of them were ejected from the game and finished their designated minutes in the first half.

John Collins Had the Last Laugh Over Dillon Brooks

While Dillon Brooks, being the way that he is on the court, attempted to break the spirits of his opponents, John Collins ultimately had the last laugh. The Detroit Pistons managed to escape a nail-biting situation on Monday when they beat the Phoenix Suns 109-107.

Leading Detroit to victory was small forward Ronald Holland II. It was a good opportunity for the 21-year-old to get some reps in. Holland II put up 14 points, four rebounds, five steals, and two blocks. The young forward appears to have worked on his game over the summer and looks to improve his numbers further in his third season.

Circling back to Brooks and Collins, they didn't provide much in the season opener, aside from double-digit scoring numbers. Brooks scored 11 points and added two rebounds. Meanwhile, Collins had 10 points, three rebounds, and two steals.

While their numbers don't look like much, at the end of the day, it's only a preseason game. Teams don't usually go all out, given that these games have no bearing. However, preseason games also give fans a glimpse of what to expect in the regular season.

One thing is for certain: we can anticipate that Brooks will continue to annoy his opponents for as long as he can.