Tag: Markieff Morris

Markieff Morris on how the 2020 Lakers wanted to win the NBA title for Kobe Bryant

Markieff Morris says that after Kobe Bryant’s tragic death, the Lakers were locked in and very confident about winning the 2020 NBA title.

Despite trading for Anthony Davis during the summer of 2019, the Los Angeles Lakers were being counted out heading into the 2019-20 season as far as being legitimate championship contenders.

They lost on opening night to the Los Angeles Clippers, who were considered the overwhelming favorites to win it all. But from that point on, they established themselves as the best basketball team around, and they went on to win the NBA title in the Walt Disney World Resort bubble.

One piece of motivation they had was the tragic death of late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant in January 2020. Forward Markieff Morris talked about how Bryant’s passing made the team feel like it needed to get the job done, and how confident everyone was going into the playoffs while on the “All The Smoke” podcast.

“Before we went in the bubble, we knew we was going to win,” said Morris. “We were so locked in. The [expletive] happened with Kobe was like, ‘We got to get it done for him.’ We was one of the teams that was pushing more for the bubble because we knew we had the best chance of winning, and we knew no matter what or who stepped on the court with us, we was going to win.”

Morris also said that LeBron James set the tone for everyone.

“That’s the most locked in I’ve ever been on basketball. … That LeBron [James] effect is a real thing. He’s gonna up your play or you not gonna play with him. One or the other. And I think for me, I’m a high IQ basketball player, so it was easy for me to mix with him and that’s why I shot 40%.”

The Lakers picked up Morris, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound forward, in late February to beef up their frontcourt. He gave them some solid defense while hitting 42.0% of his 3-point attempts in the playoffs, and he had a few games where he became white-hot from downtown.

While some may attack the legitimacy of that 2020 championship, no Lakers fan will ever forget the journey that led to it.

Player grades: Kyrie Irving scores 30 in deceptive 117-112 loss to the Suns

Here are your Nets player grades after Thursday’s loss.

The Brooklyn Nets strolled into the Footprint Center on Thursday to face the Phoenix Suns for the first of two matchups this season and lost 117-112. Phoenix leads the regular-season series 1-0.

For the Nets, Kyrie Irving had 30 points and seven assists while Nic Claxton had 20 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks. Joe Harris and Seth Curry had 16 points each.

For the Suns, Mikal Bridges had 28 points and nine assists while Deandre Ayton had 24 points and 14 rebounds. Cameron Johnson had 19 points off the bench after missing two months with his knee injury and Damion Lee had 16 points.

This game was close in the first quarter as neither team played much defense, but the game turned into a blowout between the second and third quarters. Phoenix out-rebounded Brooklyn 49-34 as the Suns absolutely crushed the Nets on the glass. Ben Simmons was ejected in the third quarter after being called out for an illegal screen and was tossed after mouthing off to the ref.

Things turn on its head in the fourth quarter when Irving scored 21 points in the period to bring Brooklyn within single digits. In the end, it was too little too late as the Suns made free-throws to seal the game and escape with a win.

Here are your Nets player grades:

Jeremy Sochan hilariously describes himself as ‘cheeky’ after altercation with Markieff Morris

The Spurs rookie used a “wrestling move” on Morris.

The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, and they got plenty of help from 19-year-old forward Jeremy Sochan in the process.

You may know Sochan as the Spurs rookie with the colorful hair who is shooting one-handed free-throws like Dennis Rodman, but he is so much more than that. Sochan is shooting with increased confidence of late, and he showed as much in San Antonio’s upset victory over Brooklyn.

During the first half, Nets veteran Markieff Morris said Sochan made a 3-pointer and then pointed at the Brooklyn forward. The two players were then seen “jawing at each other” before becoming entangled with one another after Morris set a hard screen.

They then briefly squared up before the parties were separated. Morris said Sochan used a “wrestling move” on him to flip him and he thought that it was impressive.

Sochan said that “being a little cheeky” is something that he loves to do. Before the 2022 NBA Draft, Sochan told For The Win that he wants to get players off rhythm, and it seems he did as much with Morris.

“I’m trying to be that disruptive player like Draymond Green, Patrick Beverley, and Jae Crowder. They all have one thing in common and it’s being irritating. Being long and athletic and disruptive, that’s what I try to show in my game and my defense. It helps to get some players off rhythm. I just try to execute that as well.”

After the game, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was asked if he liked Sochan’s feistiness. Popovich said Sochan has some “nastiness” in him, which he said is necessary for a good team.

Sochan finished the game against Brooklyn with an impressive stat line of 16 points (2-3 3P), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

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Player grades: TJ Warren scores 19 as depleted Nets lose to Spurs 106-98

Here are your Nets player grades for Tuesday’s loss to the Spurs.

The Brooklyn Nets visited AT&T Center on Tuesday to take on the San Antonio Spurs and lost 106-98. This was the second and final game between the two teams this regular-season and the teams split the series 1-1.

For the Nets, TJ Warren had 19 points and five rebounds off the bench while Seth Curry had 16 points and seven rebounds. Nic Claxton and Cam Thomas had 15 points each.

For the Spurs, Keldon Johnson had 36 points and 11 rebounds while Jeremy Sochan had 16 points and four rebounds. Tre jones had 13 points and Jakob Poeltl had 12.

In a game where Kyrie Irving was a late scratch due to right calf soreness, the Nets had quite the trouble generating good offense. Despite the Spurs having the worst defensive rating in the league, Brooklyn was unable to score on a consistent basis.

Brooklyn got scoring from some unanticipated sources like Thomas, but they did not have an answer for Johnson. Turnovers (21) were an issue as well as it looks like the team doesn’t have much to fall back on without Durant and Irving.

Here are your Nets player grades:

Player grades: Seth Curry scores 23 in Nets’ demoralizing 112-102 loss to the Thunder

Here are your Nets player grades for Sunday’s 112-102 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets welcomed the Oklahoma City Thunder to Barclays Center on Sunday and lost 112-102. This is the first of two meetings between the teams this regular-season. Oklahoma now leads the series 1-0.

For the Nets, Seth Curry had 23 points off the bench and Nic Claxton had 17 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks. Royce O’Neale had 11 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists while Kyrie Irving had 15 points.

For the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points and seven rebounds while Josh Giddey had 28 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. Lu Dort had 22 points and Isaiah Joe had nine points off the bench.

In almost a repeat of the loss to the Boston Celtics on Thursday, the Nets were competitive for the first three quarters and was up by 10 points at one point. There were too many times where Brooklyn forgot to cover someone, whether at the three-point line or at the rim, and it doomed them in the end.

As has been the case throughout this season, Brooklyn had trouble limiting dribble penetration. Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey were able to get to the rim at will and even with Claxton having four blocks, the Nets struggled to defend the paint. Nets guard Ben Simmons was a late scratch for this game due to back soreness.

Here are your Nets player grades:

Player grades: Kevin Durant swishes 23 as Nets steamroll Warriors 143-113

Nets take care of business against the Warriors

The Brooklyn Nets welcomed the short-handed Golden State Warriors to Barclays Center on Wednesday and won 143-133. The Nets are now on a seven-game winning streak and have won 11 of their past 12 games.

For the Nets, Kevin Durant had 23 points and seven rebounds while Edmond Sumner had 16 points and two assists off the bench. Royce O’Neale had 14 points and Patty Mills had 13 points off the pine.

For the Warriors, James Wiseman had 30 points and six rebounds while Moses Moody had 17 points and three assists. Patrick Baldwin Jr. had 17 points as a reserve and Ty Jerome had 14 points.

This game became lopsided very fast as the Nets were on fire from the field. It was clear that the Warriors were beat up as they did not have the services of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, or Andrew Wiggins. Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving was a late scratch because of tightness in his right calf, but it looked like the Nets didn’t need his services to win this game.

The Warriors did a good job of out-rebounding the Nets and did not have the worst game offensively, but it was clear that they did not have the firepower to keep up with the Nets. Brooklyn found itself getting wide open shots on virtually every possession as it looks like the Warriors were tired and wanted to just go home.

Here are your Nets player grades:

Player grades: Kevin Durant drops 30 as Nets beat Wizards 112-100

Here are the Nets’ player grades for Monday’s win.

The Brooklyn Nets paid a visit to the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on Monday and came away with a convincing 112-100 victory. The Nets now lead the regular-season series 3-0.

For the Nets, Kevin Durant had 30 points and nine rebounds while Kyrie Irving had 24 points and five assists. TJ Warren had 12 points off the bench and Joe Harris had 11 points.

For the Wizards, Will Barton had 22 points and seven assists off the bench while Kyle Kuzma had 20 points and seven rebounds. Kristaps Porzingis had 20 points and three rebounds (before leaving the game with back tightness) and Jordan Goodwin had 11 points.

This was a convincing win for the Nets as they led for much of the game behind the play of Durant and Irving. Nic Claxton got into foul trouble in the first half trying to guard Porzingis and with Claxton out of the game, the Wizards were able to attack the rim with good success. The Nets lost the rebounding battle to the Wizards 44-41 and that’s what kept Washington in the game for as long as they did.

Brooklyn added seven blocks to their resume as the best shot-blocking team in the NBA and that was surprising given that Claxton did not play his usual minutes because of foul trouble. The Nets took advantage of scoring in transition and trying to score in the paint whenever possible.

Here are your Nets’ player grades:

Player grades: Cam Thomas scores 33 as Nets beat Pacers 136-133

Here are the Nets’ player grades for Saturday’s win over the Indiana Pacers.

The Brooklyn Nets visited the Indiana Pacers on Saturday and won 136-133. This was the fourth and final matchup between these two teams this season and the regular-season series is tied at 2-2.

For the Nets, Cam Thomas had 33 points and three rebounds off the bench while Patty Mills had 24 points and six assists. Day’Ron Sharpe had 20 points and 12 rebounds as Edmond Sumner had 20 points and seven rebounds.

For the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton had 35 points and nine assists as Buddy Hield had 17 points and four rebounds. Myles Turner had 16 points and three rebounds while Oshae Brissett had 14 points and three rebounds off the bench.

In a game where the Nets rested eight players including Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn still had six players in double figures. Not much defense was played in this game by either team, but the Nets were able to limit the Pacers in the second a tad by allowing them to score only 24 points in the third quarter.

The Nets couldn’t hit many 3s, but they did win the rebounding battle 59-30 which includes 29 offensive rebounds. The Nets only had 19 assists as they were relying more on players like Thomas and Mills to hit shots off the dribble or guys like Sumner getting to the rim. Turnovers were an issue for the Nets, but in the end, the 25-11 run Brooklyn made from the middle of the third quarter to the beginning of the fourth quarter was huge.

Here are the Nets’ player grades:

Player grades: Kyrie Irving scores 33 to lead Nets over Hornets

Here are the Nets’ player grades for their win over the Charlotte Hornets.

The Brooklyn Nets hosted the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday for the second of four matchups this season and won 122-118. Brooklyn now leads the regular-season series 2-0.

Kyrie Irving scored 33 points and had nine assists for the Nets while Kevin Durant had 29 points and nine rebounds. Seth Curry scored 20 points off the bench and Nic Claxton had 14 points and seven rebounds.

Kelly Oubre Jr. had 30 points and eight rebounds for the Hornets while Terry Rozier had 29 points and five assists. Jalen McDaniels had 19 points and Mason Plumlee had 13 points.

The Nets did not play much defense in this one as they were just so good on offense that it didn’t matter. The Hornets were able to get just about any shot they wanted, but wasn’t as efficient from the field.

The Hornets had a poor performance from the free-throw line and that helped out the Nets. However, the second half got away from the Nets as they were unable to continue their offensive explosion into the third quarter.

This game got close late as Brooklyn had some trouble defending the dribble and the pick-and-roll. The Hornets were able to be carried by Rozier and Oubre Jr. until the very end.

Here are the Nets’ player grades:

Player grades: Kyrie Irving scores 27 as Nets beat Raptors in TJ Warren’s return

Here’s how the Nets did in the victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday.

The Brooklyn Nets hosted the Toronto Raptors on Friday and won 114-105. The Nets have now won four games in a row overall and have won six games in a row at home.

Kyrie Irving scored 27 points on efficient shooting and had five assists while Kevin Durant had 17 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. Joe Harris chipped in with 17 big points and TJ Warren played in his first NBA game in 703 days and scored 10 points.

Pascal Siakam had 24 points and seven rebounds for the Raptors as OG Anunoby had 21 points and six rebounds. Scottie Barnes had 17 points and nine rebounds while Gary Trent Jr. score 16 points off the bench for Toronto.

The Nets won the first quarter 41-17 as they could not miss a shot behind the likes of Irving and Harris going off. The Raptors could not make a shot in the early going and they weren’t able to provide much resistance on the defensive end.

The second half was a different story however. Through a combination of the Nets coming back to earth shooting the ball as well as the Raptors finally settling in, this became a game in the fourth quarter as the Nets started coasting.

In the end, Toronto could not recover from their dismal start and it cost them as the Nets did enough to finish the game with a win. Here are the player grades for the Nets’ players: