LA Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr turned 31 on Wednesday, but it wasn't exactly the happiest of birthdays after the NBA issued him a $A48,000-fine for "recklessly striking" Dallas guard Luka Doncic.
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The flagrant-two foul he committed in Sunday's series-clinching Clippers victory followed two previous incidents between the players.
Morris made contact after the whistle on Doncic in Game 1 that led to a heated disagreement between the teams, and Doncic's left shoe came off in Game 4 after it was stepped on by Morris near the ankle Doncic had injured earlier in the series.
After that incident, and his ejection in Game 6 after the above-the-neck foul on Doncic, Morris defended himself by saying he played hard but was not a dirty player.
That history was taken into account when determining how much the NBA would dock Morris.
The fine was "based in part on the fact that Morris Sr. has been disciplined on several prior occasions for physical altercations on the court," the NBA wrote in announcing the fine.
Doncic did not escape punishment either in the first postseason of his NBA career, with a $A20,000 fine for throwing the ball off the legs of an official in Game 6. Doncic was assessed a technical foul on the play.
Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart was fined $A7,000 for flopping in Game 2 against the Toronto Raptors.
Smart at first was able to draw an offensive foul on Toronto's Pascal Siakam by pushing Siakam and falling down during a Raptors fast break. Toronto challenged the call and it was reversed and changed to a loose ball foul on Smart.
Australian Associated Press
