Dillon Brooks poked the bear -- literally.
During Game 3 between the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Lakers, Brooks received a technical foul Flagrant 2 for this hit on LeBron James. He would be ejected.
Trailing 53-37 coming out of halftime, Brooks picked up James full court when the Lakers star made a left-to-right behind-the-back dribble. Brooks appeared to take a swipe at the ball, but his reach saw him make contact with James' groin area instead.
The ejection comes a game after Brooks took vicious shots at James following Memphis' Game 2 win at home on Wednesday.
"I don't care, he's old," Brooks said of James. "I poke bears. I don't respect no one until they come and give me 40. I pride myself on defense and taking on any challenge that's on the board."
Brooks and James exchanged trash talk in Game 2, and they also met on the court prior to Game 3 in Crypto.com Arena that drew interest.
It capped off a poor showing for Brooks, who played 19 minutes and logged seven points, two rebounds and a steal while shooting 3-for-13 overall, 1-for-5 from deep and missing his only free throw attempt.
Memphis as a team tallied just nine points at the end of the first quarter and trailed by 26 when the scoreboard read 35-9. That difference tied the biggest first-quarter lead in NBA playoff history.