Breaking News: LeBron James, Dillon Brooks trade barbs and buckets in Lakers-Suns thriller…see more

A rejuvenated Lakers defense. A veteran role player reinserted into the rotation.

A 20-point lead. Unfathomably bad decisions. A 20-point comeback. Go-ahead free throws and a game-winning block by LeBron James.

None of them were the defining moment of the Lakers’ 116-114 win Sunday night in Phoenix, a real testament to just how wild was what Dillon Brooks did with 12.2 seconds to go. Brooks capped a wild fourth-quarter comeback from the Suns by hitting a three-point shot, only to run down the court, intentionally bump into James and earn his second technical foul of the game, causing his ejection.

“He’s going to compete. I’m going to compete,” James said. “We’re going to get up in each other’s face. Try not to go borderline with it. I don’t really take it there. But we’re just competing and did that almost all the way to the end of the game.”