LA Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr. was fined $35,000 for his Game 6 flagrant 2 foul on Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic, the NBA announced Wednesday.
The league office also announced that Doncic was fined $15,000 for throwing the ball at the legs of a game official in the third quarter of Game 6. Doncic received a technical foul for tossing the ball at referee Billy Kennedy‘s legs after being called for an offensive foul.
The NBA’s statement cited Morris “recklessly striking” Doncic above the shoulders as the reason for the fine.
Morris chopped Doncic with both hands on a drive by the Dallas star with 1:07 remaining in the first quarter of the Clippers’ series-closing 111-97 win. In a postgame pool report, referee Scott Foster specified Morris winding up with his right arm and following through after hitting Doncic in the head and neck area as “unnecessary and excessive contact” that merited a flagrant 2 ruling and automatic ejection.
“It was a terrible play. What can I say?” Doncic said after the game. “It’s two games in a row he did something like that. I really hoped the first game it wasn’t on purpose, but looking back on the foul this game, you know what I think.
“I don’t want to deal with that kind of players. Just move on.”
The Mavericks were also irate with two instances in Game 5 that they believed Morris intentionally targeted Doncic’s sprained left ankle. The first occurred when Morris stepped on the back of Doncic’s leg and foot as he awaited an inbounds pass after a made basket by the Clippers early in the fourth quarter. The second occurred minutes later when Morris committed an uncalled landing space violation, sliding his foot under Doncic as he shot a 3-pointer.
Morris, who exchanged trash talk with Doncic throughout the series, adamantly denied trying to injure the 21-year-old All-Star.
“He’s going to be the face of the league,” Morris said after Game 6. “I’ve taken into account all of that. I have been around for a while. I know how this thing works. … I am a grown man. I stand on my own. Like I said, I didn’t mean to step on his ankle. They can say the stuff that they want to say, this and that, on Twitter. … Whatever they want to say, they can say it. I am going to continue to play, happy that my team is in the second round.”
