Suns' Dillon Brooks ejected from game for kicking Nuggets' Jamal Murray in the groin

PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks was ejected Friday night in a 127-120 loss to the Denver Nuggets for kicking Jamal Murray in the groin.

Brooks attempted a turnaround jumper in the third quarter with Murray guarding, and when Brooks fell backward he kicked his right leg forward, making contact with Murray.

Brooks was called for an offensive foul and Murray was writhing in pain on the court for a few moments before eventually getting up and staying in the game. The officials reviewed the play and upgraded the foul to a Flagrant 2, which is an automatic ejection.

Murray — who finished with 39 points — said postgame that he didn't believe the kick was intentional and that he and Brooks are “buddies.” They are teammates on the Canadian national team.

“No, of course not," Murray said. "He’s shooting the ball. I mean, he might have flopped a little bit, but I don’t think he’s really trying to kick me in the (groin).”

Brooks was leading the Suns with 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting at the time of his ejection.

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Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks, right, avoids a Denver Nuggets defender during the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game, Friday, Oct 30, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) looks to shoot over Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and forward Cameron Johnson (23) during the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game, Friday, Oct 30, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks, front right, passes the ball around Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) during the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game, Friday, Oct 30, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) drives around Denver Nuggets guard DeMar DeRozan, left, during the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game, Friday, Oct 30, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Police secured Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal on Friday as dozens of protesters gathered to demonstrate against what they perceive as the wrongful suspension of the top court’s president by the current pro-European government.

Police said they detained three people after some protesters breached the tribunal’s fence and others threw objects at officers.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who was flying to Senegal, said he turned his flight back because of the situation. “At ​a moment like this, the ​President must be in Poland. I ⁠am cutting short my flight ​to Senegal. I am returning,” he ​wrote on X.

Poland's top judicial bodies, including the Constitutional Tribunal, have been a major bone of contention between the current pro-European government and the main opposition party, national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS).

Critics in Poland and the European Union accuse PiS, which led the country between 2015 and 2023, of imposing political control over key judicial institutions, including the Constitutional Tribunal. The PiS reforms led the EU to impose fines on Poland.

The pro-European government of Donald Tusk came to power in 2023 with a promise to restore the independence of the judiciary. Since then, the government’s efforts have been blocked by veto by two successive presidents aligned with PiS, including Nawrocki.

The information about the suspension of the president of the Constitutional Tribunal, Bogdan Święczkowski, was published on the website of the court around 6 p.m. local time. The website of the Tribunal went down soon after so The Associated Press could not independently verify the official reasons given for his suspension.

Święczkowski became head of the Constitutional Tribunal under the PiS government, and Tusk has accused him of blocking judges elected by the parliamentary majority from taking up their posts at the tribunal.

“Restoring the rule of law is our obligation," Prime Minister Tusk wrote on X on Friday evening. "After years of lawlessness under PiS this is a difficult process, sometimes painful and it requires decisive action. There is no other way.”

Speaking about the future of the Constitutional Tribunal at Campus Polska in August, Tusk said his government had a plan to ensure the tribunal would be again staffed with lawfully appointed judges while acknowledging his methods may not be to everyone's liking.

Politicians from PiS, currently the largest opposition force, have criticized Święczkowski's suspension.

“This is a blatant, criminal attack on the constitutional order," former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro wrote on X Friday evening. “That is why I call for resistance that will be loud, firm, solidary and fearless.”

Police officers are guarding the entrance to the Polish Constitutional Court in Warsaw, Poland, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafal Niedzielski) Photo taken with a smartphone.

Police officers guard the entrance to the Polish Constitutional Court in Warsaw, Poland, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafal Niedzielski) Photo taken with a smartphone.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki speaks at Malacañang Palace in Manila, Philippines, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. (Ezra Acayan/Pool Photo via AP)