Getty Miami Heat forward Markieff Morris handles the ball during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The shorthanded Miami Heat had a rough go of things at FTX Arena on Saturday night. Facing a hungry Timberwolves team without the help of Jimmy Butler, Caleb Martin and Victor Oladipo, the East leaders lost by nine points on their home floor after getting outscored 58-37 in the second half.
It wasn’t all bad news for the Heat, though, as Markieff Morris finally returned to the lineup after 58 games on the shelf.
And while there was a level of rust apparent in his play, the veteran big man acquitted himself well in the comeback effort. Morris logged 17 minutes in the game, scoring six points on 3-of-7 shooting while adding four rebounds and an assist. He did commit four turnovers, but Miami was still plus-six when he was on the court.
“I’m just thankful and grateful to be able to play the game I Iove,” he said postgame, via Bally Sports Sun. “I’m the type of player you can just plug in.”
He didn’t just talk about his performance after the game, though. Morris also said a mouthful about the incident that landed him on the injured list.
Morris Gets Fired up Over Jokic
Morris’ extended absence was the product of an altercation with Nuggets star Nikola Jokic on November 8. After the 32-year-old committed a hard foul on the big man, Jokic retaliated by charging shoulder first into his back as he walked away, laying him out in the process.
The whiplash that resulted from the cheap shot ended up costing Morris about 70% of his season. And the only punishment Jokic received for it was a one-game suspension.
After the Wolves game, Morris was asked whether he had heard from Jokic at all since the incident, which prompted an emphatic response.
“F**k no!” he exclaimed. “I don’t want to hear from him. He did what he did.”
He also noted that Jokic’s actions didn’t just harm him physically; a mental/emotional impact was made as well.
“For the first two weeks, I probably didn’t sleep based on that happening and me not being able to control the situation,” Morris said. “I moved past it. It took me a while. My grandfather called me a bunch of times and just told me to let it go and move it on. That’s what I did.”
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Coach Spo on Morris’ Return
For his part, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was over the moon at seeing Morris back in the lineup.
“I thought that was just really uplifting. Not only for him but for us and the whole locker room,” Spoelstra said. “Everybody has seen what he’s had to do over the last few months and just really, basically, having it be a waiting game — that’s extremely frustrating. ”
Spoelstra further opined that Morris’ hard work throughout the rehab process paid dividends in terms of his ability to reintegrate and have a positive effect on the game.
“He’s been a great teammate, he’s been great behind the scenes. And he’s really been putting in the work, so I think that allowed him to play the minutes that he played and it looked like he was in a really good rhythm,” the coach added.
“I’m just really happy for him on the human side.”
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