LeBron James clashes with Suns' Dillon Brooks in Lakers' 2-point win

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LeBron James got the last laugh on Sunday night as he sank two free throws in the final 3.9 seconds to lift the Los Angeles Lakers over the Phoenix Suns, 116-114.

James may be in the twilight of his career, but he showed he still had some fight. He was battling with Suns forward Dillon Brooks throughout the night. The two got into multiple skirmishes as the intensity was turned up a notch.

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Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks fouls Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Phoenix. Brooks was ejected from the game after the foul. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

As the game came down to the wire, Brooks hit a clutch 3-pointer to put the Suns up one point with 12.2 seconds left. James ran through him and knocked him down. Brooks got back up and stuck his chest out to ever-so-gently tap James.

A referee came over to stop the conflict from escalating any further. Brooks was ejected from the game.

"I just like to compete," James said of going up against Brooks, via ESPN. "He's going to compete. I'm going to compete. We're going to get up in each other's face. Try not to go borderline with it. I don't really take it there. But we're just competing and did that almost all the way to the end of the game."

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Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) react