Getty Images Chris Paul of the Phoenix Suns talks with Devin Booker.
Markieff Morris didn’t feel that the Phoenix Suns just beat his Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. The veteran forward felt disrespected by their first-round foe in the 115-85 Game 5 loss.
Morris started in place of Anthony Davis in the matchup, providing four points and one rebound in 10 minutes. He didn’t hold back while speaking with reporters after the game.
“This was a bad loss. I said when I came in the locker room, ‘they disrespecting us,'” Morris said. “They punched us and we ain’t punching back. That’s how I felt all night.”
Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma agreed with Morris, feeling the beatdown should give the defending champs some added motivation going forward.
“I think we just got our ass kicked. We got disrespected out there,” Kuzma told reporters. “So I think that should be enough to give us some.”
Markieff Morris: Lakers Need to Take Fight to Suns
Morris was a key cog on last year’s championship squad, hitting some timely shots at key moments down the stretch. But the Lakers have been unable to get on track shooting the ball this postseason, unable to break 92 points in the three losses during the series.
In Game 5, the Lakers were simply never in contention, falling behind by 30 at the half.
“They just took the fight to us, man,” Morris said. “I feel like we started the game off a little hesitant. We needed everybody to be aggressive without [Anthony Davis] in the game. I feel like we were really passive early on. I feel like we weren’t attacking them. They were attacking us.”
On the brink of elimination, Morris feels that the Lakers “championship DNA” needs to take over.
“We have to be aggressive. We have to find that sense of desperation that has not hit this team yet this season,” Morris said. “Being down 3-2, our back against the wall, last game of the season possibility would be a good time to show our championship DNA. We just got to fight, man.”
The Lakers are trying to avoid becoming the sixth defending champion in NBA history to follow up a championship with a first-round playoff exit, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Lakers lose Game 5 in Phoenix 115-85. They will need to win two games in a row to avoid becoming the sixth defending champion in league history to follow up their title with a first round playoff exit the next season.
Lakers Looking Forward to Heading Back to LA
The Suns welcomed 16,000 fans into the building for the playoff matchup and the home-court advantage was obvious, especially once things started to spiral for the Lakers.
“It was cool. I mean, it reminded me of those games that I used to come here and coach against these guys or play against them early in my career,” Suns coach Monty Williams said, per SB Nation. “It certainly sounded like a packed house tonight and our guys fed off of that, for sure. And when you’re playing that hard and defending like that and you got your crowd behind you, it gives you a little bit more juice.”
The Lakers and LeBron James are looking forward to heading home to the comfy confines of Staples Center. There will be less fans allowed in the building, but James and his teammates are eager to play in front of the purple and gold faithful with it all on the line.
“I mean, it’s literally win or go home at that point,” James said. “So, you shoot all the bullets you got and throw the gun, too. So, I look forward to the environment.
“Obviously our Laker faithful are going to give us a lot of energy, and I look forward to the moment, look forward to the challenge, and we’ll see if it brings out the best in me and my teammates.”
The Lakers opened as 2.5-point favorites for the matchup, per Odds Shark.
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