|
Morris had 21 points and nine rebounds while being booed virtually
every time he touched the ball in the Wizards' 106-99 victory over
the Suns at the Talking Stick Resort Arena on Friday.
"It is what it is, man," said Morris, who was traded to Washington
on Feb. 19 after demanding to be traded over the summer when twin
brother Marcus was dealt to Detroit.
"They booed my brother, so I figured they boo me, too. You saw how I
played. I've been booed a hundred thousand times, way worse than
that. It didn't affect me. Honestly, I was just trying to win the
game. It wasn't really about my performance. Of course I wanted to
play well, but it was all about the win."
Guard John Wall had 22 points and 10 assists and guard Bradley Beal
scored 21 points for the Wizards (37-39), who are in 10th place, 2
1/2 games behind Indiana for the final playoff spot in the Eastern
Conference with six games to play. The teams do not meet again.
Reserve forward Mirza Teletovic had 24 points and 12 rebounds for
the Suns (20-56), and forward P.J. Tucker had 18 points and 10
rebounds.
"I told him that means they love you," Wizards coach Randy Wittman
said he told Morris about the boos.
"When another team boos you, trust me, that means you were a (heck)
of a player here. If you were a nobody, they wouldn't boo you. I
think I could see an extra pep to his step at shoot-around this
morning. He came right out and played a really consistent for four
quarters for us."
Wizards center Marcin Gortat had 11 points and 11 rebounds, and
reserve guard Ramon Sessions had nine points, including seven in a
13-2 run midway through the fourth quarter that turned an 86-83
deficit into 96-87 lead with 4:51 remaining.
The Suns had six of their 16 turnovers and missed both of their
field goal attempts during the deciding run.
"Going down the stretch, we have to allow our young guys to
develop," Suns coach Earl Watson said. "John Wall, he was a closer.
He made tough shots. In order to grow, you must first have the
opportunity to fail."
Center Tyson Chandler had 11 points and 15 rebounds as the bigger
Suns, who also use a starting lineup that includes center Alex Len,
had a 56-44 rebounding edge.
[to top of second column] |
But the Suns shot only 38.7 percent from the field and had 16
turnovers. Washington shot 44.2 percent and made 10 of 26
3-pointers, three by Beal and two by Morris.
"Usually it is an advantage for me when I have a 7-foot guy on me,"
Morris said. "It is tough for him to guard me."
NOTES: Washington F Markieff Morris made his first appearance in
Phoenix since the Suns traded him to the Wizards for F Kris
Humphries, F DeJuan Blair and a first-round draft pick (protected
through No. 9) on Feb. 19. Morris told reporters that early Friday
that "it was just tough to do certain things with no trust and play
for people that you really don't trust." He did not elaborate after
the game. "I ain't getting into that," he said. "That's how I feel.
As things stand now, Washington has 12th-worst record in the league,
which means the Suns would get that pick. ... Suns G Brandon Knight,
who missed 22 games with a sports hernia injury, was held out of the
lineup with the same issue Friday. The Suns say conversations will
be held about the possibility of holding him out the rest of the
year. ... Wizards G John Wall, averaging 19.94 points and 10.2
assists, is attempting to become the first player in franchise
history to average 20 /10 rebounds in a season. He would join
Clippers G Chris Paul (2007-08, 2008-09) and G Russell Westbrook
(2015-16) as the only players to do that since 1993-94. ... Suns F
Mirza Teletovic had 159 3-pointers, the most among NBA reserves. F
Chuck Person holds the league record for 3-pointers off the bench at
164 with San Antonio in 1994-95. ... Suns G Devin Booker is the
seventh NBA player to reach 900 points while still a teenager. The
others are LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant,
Dwight Howard and Tracy McGrady. Booker does not turn 20 until Nov.
30.
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
