April 20 (UPI) -- Dillon Brooks scored a dozen points before he threw a jab at LeBron James, calling the future Hall of Famer "old" after the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of their NBA playoff series.
Brooks, 27, and James, 38, exchanged words serval times during the Grizzlies' 103-93 win Wednesday in Memphis. James totaled a game-high 28 points and chipped in 12 assists in the loss. The series is tied at 1-1.
"I don't care," Brooks told reporters. "He's old. You know what I mean? I was expecting him to do that in Game 4 or Game 5. He wanted to say something. ... I poke bears.
"I don't respect anyone until they come and give me 40 [points]. I pride myself on doing what I do."
Grizzlies center Xavier Tillman totaled a team-high 22 points and 13 rebounds. Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. and guard Desmond Bane scored 18 and 17 points, respectively. The Grizzlies won despite missing guard Ja Morant, who injured his hand in Game 1.
The Grizzlies scored 20 points off turnovers and led by as many as 20 points. The game had just one lead change.
One James-Brooks run-in occurred about 4 minutes into the third quarter. James hit a jump shot and the Lakers were running back to defend at the start of that sequence. James talked to Brooks after he made the shot.
Brooks then ran into Lakers forward Anthony Davis. He followed that collision with a bump into James with his left elbow. He followed that contact by laughing and clapping in James' face.
James responded by shouting back at the Grizzlies guard-forward.
Dillon and James reconvened for more pleasantries with about eight minutes remaining. James first dunked with 8:07 remaining.
Brooks then hit a 3-pointer to give the Grizzlies an 89-77 edge with 7:49 remaining. Brooks turned and stared into James' eyes after he sank his shot. James ignored the gesture.
The No. 7 Lakers will host the No. 2 Grizzlies in Game 3 at 10 p.m. EDT Saturday in Los Angeles. They will host the Grizzlies again Monday at Crypto.com Arena.
The winner of the best-of-seven series will face the No. 6 Golden State Warriors or No. 3 Sacramento Kings in the Western Conference semifinals. The Kings hold a 2-0 lead over the Warriors.
