NEW YORK — LeBron James once again won the final battle in his growing rivalry with Dillon Brooks, sinking two pressure-packed free throws with 3.9 seconds left and then sealing the game with a defensive stand as the Los Angeles Lakers edged the Phoenix Suns, 116–114, on Monday (Manila time) in one of the most dramatic finishes of the NBA season.

The final sequence unfolded like a script written specifically for James and Brooks, whose feud has become one of the league’s most charged storylines. 

Moments earlier, James bricked a technical free throw following Brooks’ ejection — a miss that allowed Phoenix to stay within striking distance. Brooks had just buried a three-pointer to complete a furious Suns rally, then sprinted downcourt and intentionally bumped James, earning his second technical and an automatic ejection.

It was another infamous chapter for Brooks, whose confrontations with James have fueled headlines since the 2023 playoffs, when he infamously called the NBA’s all-time leading scorer “old” and boasted, “I poke bears.”

This time, the bear poked back.

“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.”

After missing the technical free throw, James was fouled by Devin Booker on a three-point attempt — another high-drama twist between two Western Conference rivals. James hit two of three from the line with 3.0 seconds remaining to push the Lakers ahead. 

On Phoenix’s final possession, he smothered Grayson Allen’s potential game-winner, blocking the shot to punctuate the victory and puncture the Suns’ comeback hopes.

It was a vintage, age-defying night for James, who turns 41 later this month but continues to torch opponents nearly half his age. He finished with 26 points, four assists, two steals and two blocks, overcoming eight turnovers and the tense free throw misses to deliver in the closing seconds — again — while staring down Brooks.

The tension between them has become a must-see NBA theater, and Sunday delivered another emotional crescendo. When asked whether he sold Brooks’ late-game contact to make sure officials called a technical foul, James didn’t flinch.

“That’s definitely a tech,” he said.

“If it was a tech on me in the third quarter, then it was a tech on him right here, too.”

The Lakers improved to 18–7, tying the San Antonio Spurs for the fourth-best record in the Western Conference. Oddsmakers have taken notice as well: L.A. now sits alongside the New York Knicks with the fourth-best odds at BetUS in the championship sweepstakes.

Brooks, meanwhile, left the floor frustrated again, his rivalry with James once more tilting toward the league’s biggest – and oldest – star. 

What began as a war of words two years ago has evolved into one of the NBA’s most compelling individual battles — but on Sunday night, James had the last word, the last free throws, and the last defensive stop.