National Basketball Association fines Pistons’ Marcus Morris $15K for postgame tiff with Paul George

Through 42 minutes, the Indiana Pacers led the Detroit Pistons 73-71, but a frustrating factor to the game was the it felt as if the Pacers were allowing Detroit to stay alive.

Led by the 32 points and 14 rebounds of All-Star Paul George, Indiana was able to hold off their division rivals in a match where Detroit’s head coach Stan Van Gundy was ejected with 22.6 seconds left in the contest.

Beside that, IN not only came up with a much needed win, but did so on the defensive end of the floor, holding Detroit to 35.5% from the floor and 82, their second lowest allowed, and the second time they’ve held Detroit to such a number, defeating them 94-82 for their first win of the season back IN November.

Pacers forward Paul George had a busy fourth quarter against the Pistons: 21 points, four rebounds and one brouhaha at center court with Marcus Morris. Overall, the Pacers have lost six of their last seven road games and begin a streak tonight that will see nine of their next 11 games on the road.

“Our guys played hard”, Van Gundy said.

The last four games have been close ones for the Pacers and Hill has been on the floor in the fourth quarter of each to provide a spark on defense.

As time expired on the game Saturday, Detroit’s fourth loss in five games, Morris shoved George, his defensive assignment for most of the game, after the two bumped chests near midcourt. “We didn’t do well enough with a tough schedule (in December), so we know we’ve got a lot of road games and we’ll have to be road warriors”. With that duo along with Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside, the Heat are ripe with talent and just waiting to go off at any moment.

“I think everybody was locked in and that’s what we need”, forward Chris Bosh said.

“I said something she didn’t like”, he said.

George then walked over and got nose-to-nose with Morris, who shoved George.

Players for both teams, Morris and George included, said after it was nothing personal and just the result of tempers flaring up in a hard-fought game.