Amidst all the massive noise of celebration with the Houston Rockets finally clinching a playoff spot in the 2025 NBA Playoffs after a dominating win over the Utah Jazz, the team is also awaiting decision on the post-game review on Dillon Brooks’ 16th technical foul of the season, which could have implications in their chances of winning.

With the Rockets set to host Oklahoma City this Friday, Brooks would be a huge boon to their defensive end and a boost to their three-point shooting. However, his services would be missed should the league not rescind the technical foul. It can be remembered that his career-high on technical fouls in a single season is at 18.

Brooks is one of the tough defenders in the league, and is also infamous for his attitude on the court as he is usually involved in game altercations and even initiating unnecessary arguments with players and even officials from time to time. So far, he has lived up to his reputation and is on the verge of a one-game suspension.

The Brooks Incident in Utah

For context, Brooks’ technical foul came in just 4:48 into the game. The Rockets’ guard was posting up Utah guard Collin Sexton near the basket, and he later attempted a spin inside to get a turnaround jumper. However, Sexton would manage to swipe the ball clean before Brooks could get the shot off, but the latter’s follow-through saw him kicking out his right leg, striking Sexton near the groin.

It took a short review from lead referee Tony Brothers who later announced a technical foul for Brooks, which led to a trip to the charity stripe for Sexton. This comes just three days after he was ejected in a Houston win over the Phoenix Suns after he got into a shoving match with Kevin Durant.

It is a league rule that once a player reaches a total of 16 technical fouls in a season, a possible suspension will increase by one game for every two additional technicals he receives. Brooks is one of the players who are likely to get these calls, and it is expected that the Rockets will plead his case to keep him in the lineup heading into their showdown with Oklahoma City.

Brooks vs Oklahoma City

Should the technical foul get rescinded, Brooks will be available to play in the Rockets’ home game against the Thunder, which will be a showdown between the top two teams in the Western Conference. In three games against the Thunder this season, Brooks has averaged 15.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists and has often taken on the defensive assignment against his Team Canada teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

In three games against OKC, the Rockets have lost two of the three meetings this season – with the last two losses coming off by a huge margin. Brooks has played in all meetings so far, but him missing out on the final meeting of the season would be quite impactful for the Rockets.

Considering how playoff positioning is crucial, Houston must win its final games of the season if they are going to secure the 2nd seed in the wild Western Conference, especially with both the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers prowling about in the ranks as well. On the other hand, Oklahoma City is trying to reach 70 wins and become the third team to do so, and they are also riding on an 11-game winning streak.