LeBron James brushes off recent jabs by Grizzlies' Dillon Brooks

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — LeBron James will let his game do the talking when the Los Angeles Lakers' first-round series against the self-proclaimed bear-poking Dillon Brooks and the Memphis Grizzlies continues with Game 3 on Saturday.

«I'm not here for the bulls---,» James said after practice Friday, cutting off his media availability after side-stepping Brooks-related questions for about five minutes. «I'm ready to play and that's it.»

Following the No. 2-seeded Grizzlies' 103-93 win in Game 2 to even the series 1-1 against the No. 7 Lakers, the 27-year-old Brooks took aim at the 38-year-old James, doubting the 20-year veteran's effectiveness at this stage of his career.

«I don't care — he's old. You know what I mean?» Brooks said Wednesday after staring down James on the floor when he hit a 3 in the fourth quarter. «I was waiting for that. I was expecting him to do that Game 4, Game 5. He wanted to say something when I got my fourth foul. He should have been saying that earlier on. But I poke bears. I don't respect no one until they come and give me 40.»

James said he hadn't heard Brooks' comments until a reporter asked about them.

When asked if he's ever been in a playoff series with an outcome that hinged on trash talk, James downplayed the significance of the extracurricular activity.

«The game is won in between the four lines,» he said. «Always has, always will be.»

James' teams are 10-3 against Brooks in his career. James' high-scoring total in those games is 34 points, as he's averaged 25.2 points on 52.2% shooting in the 11 regular-season games. Through the first two games of this series, James is averaging 24.5 points on 51.3% shooting and 11.5 rebounds.

Lakers reserve forward Rui Hachimura, just 25 years old