The NBA preseason has just begun, but tempers are already flaring. An altercation between John Collins and Dillon Brooks caught fans’ attention on social media.
When it comes to nearly every major sports league, preseason is not serious in terms of the results of the games. Teams use preseason to test out new ideas, get their stars into game shape, and give players who are likely to not play too much some run.
In the NBA, though, one incident has shown that any game, even preseason, can still cause players to lose their cool. In the Detroit Pistons’ 109-107 win against the Phoenix Suns, John Collins and Dillon Brooks got into it, which led to an unexpected intense exchange.
Collins grabbed the Suns star by the throat during the first quarter after Brooks was called for a hard foul on Collins. The incident came with 7:23 left in the quarter and sparked a brief scuffle before both teams separated the pair.
Collins was called for a flagrant foul, while Brooks received a technical foul for unsportsmanlike contact. Fan reactions on social media showed that many were on Collins’ side.
John Collins grabs Dillon Brooks by the throat.
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