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Dillon Brooks criticized the Oklahoma City Thunder, calling them 'foul baiters' after the Phoenix Suns' play-in win. The Suns are set to face the Thunder in the 2026 NBA playoffs.
Jan 4, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) celebrates with teammate Jalen Green against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
And let the 2026 NBA playoffs begin.
Still covered in sweat from the Phoenix Suns' play-in tournament win over the Golden State Warriors, Dillon Brooks didn't need long to start taking shots at the Oklahoma City Thunder. It'll be a David-Goliath situation where the reigning NBA champions should make easy work of the eighth seed.
That doesn't mean the Suns will just accept their fate. Nope. Brooks took the first shot at the Thunder. In a postgame interview with the Amazon Prime crew, he leaned into one of the gimmicks that has been conjured up over the last couple of years as OKC dominated the rest of the league.
"There are a lot of foul baiters on that team. We gotta show our hands," Brooks said. "I hope it's the real playoffs. They call too many calls. Show your hands. We gotta follow the scout. Funnel them in the paint. Be able to have our rotations properly. They shoot it great at home. There's a reason they're the No. 1 team in the NBA."
Absolutely love it. This is one of the best parts of the NBA playoffs â the continuous politicking to see if you can create a smidge of an advantage. You see a team nonstop for a couple of weeks, you try to one-up them in any way possible. Teams last year tried the same approach with the Thunder, but to no avail. Now, it's Brooks' turn to do the same. He's never been afraid to voice his opinion.
Dillon Brooks referred to the Thunder as 'foul baiters' during a postgame interview.
The Phoenix Suns won their play-in tournament game against the Golden State Warriors.
The Phoenix Suns, as the reigning NBA champions, will face the eighth-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2026 NBA playoffs.

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Brooks has helped the Suns completely turn things around this season. After an epic failure last year with Kevin Durant, Phoenix completely revamped its roster. The 30-year-old helped change their culture with a career season. He averaged 20.2 points on 43.5% shooting and 3.6 rebounds.
The Thunder will have their work cut out for them. The Suns test out as better than your typical eighth seed. And while OKC should come out with a Round 1 series win, Brooks could make it extremely annoying to reach that destination. By the end of it, I expect him to become a full-on villain as he's assigned to guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Dillon Brooks takes shot at OKC: 'A lot of foul baiters on that team'