Markieff Morris is still sidelined following the altercation with Nikola Jokic early in November. The Morris twin hurt his neck after Jokic shoved him in retaliation from a previous cheap shot by the Miami Heat’s player.
It’s been over a month since that incident and Morris is yet to return to the team. The aftermath of the incident saw plenty of fans debating who was right or wrong in this situation, which escalated to an online feud between the Jokic brothers and Marcus Morris.
Things got heated again in recent hours after Morris’ absence for the Heat’s 4-game road trip was announced, sparking a big debate among fans. Markieff has now missed 17 straight games since he was hit by Nikola Jokic.
Markieff Morris has missed 17 straight games since this incident pic.twitter.com/ytNT6FfpB2
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 13, 2021
Many fans blasted the Miami Heat player for acting tough against the Denver Nuggets superstar, stating that when you play rough, rivals will get back at you, and that time, Nikola left no room for doubt. Others, however, defended the former Los Angeles Lakers player, even asking the league to suspend Jokic for as many games Morris has missed.
Maybe Morris won't be such a dirty player once he returns…..I doubt it though.
— RaptorsNBAHoops (@Bison73J) December 13, 2021
— DJ Cerebral (@DjCerebral) December 14, 2021
#MVP 🃏 pic.twitter.com/83LLf92bCC
— GOD, GUNS AND GLORY 🇺🇲 (@MileHighTarHeel) December 14, 2021
https://twitter.com/007AndAHalf_/status/1470456687765110785
Markieff got humbled. Simple. There are consequences for your actions.
— Fitness4Life (@Fitness54718590) December 13, 2021
https://twitter.com/Deuce_305/status/1470456272063447048
i hate any player getting injured, but context matters. this was 10 seconds earlier pic.twitter.com/aUe4e0iqAJ
— mike (@redlapz) December 14, 2021
Pure fiction. “Made a play on the ball!” You are a JOKE to anyone who saw the full video of Morris delivering the downfield block. Morris has a long history of being a dirty player. Somebody took exception. Those breaks can be disrupted with a wrap around grab with no ejections.
— Barney Adams (@baad1) December 14, 2021
bro bout to miss a quarter of the season because he got in his feelings down 20 points in the fourth, crazy
— big honey (@SerbianP0intGod) December 13, 2021
https://twitter.com/NotEdwal/status/1470456155684151306https://twitter.com/keefdon/status/1470556040907399172
Joker did what was needed. Stop a fast break is 1 thing, but Morris dipped his shoulder into that man'scribs. No need for that. He dished it out. He should be able to take it. Screw race. Right is right!
— Willie J. King! (@clevertymez) December 13, 2021
1) shouldn't cheap shot in basketball.
2) shouldn't turn your back to someone you just landed a cheap shot against in anything.
— Gab Tsang (@Gab_Tsang) December 13, 2021
I'm with shaq on this one. What he said, imo, is how every hooper I ever known would have handled that same situation. Don't run full speed at me like a middle line backer & hit me with a forearm & turn around like nothings coming back your way. He tried old tactic & backfired
— nbadigital1 (@nbadigital1) December 13, 2021
https://twitter.com/CjMcCollum14/status/1470459965584379917https://twitter.com/circusclove/status/1470508089178656768
That’s the thing about tryna be a bully. There’s always somebody tougher😂😂
— K-MLK (@Kmalikmusic) December 13, 2021
So I guess then Morris shouldn’t have cheap shotted Joker. Then there’d be no retaliation…..
— Lukinator (@Lukinator111) December 13, 2021
Let’s not forget this was a reaction to a dirty play..Soooooo
— Tega Byrd (@ImTelo704) December 14, 2021
Heat fans are something, acting like if they got hit by morris the way he did they wouldnt have reacted 💀 both were wrong but morris took a cheap shot first down 17 simple
— Ed (@g00dbyeamerica) December 13, 2021
When he got hit, Morris landed on the floor pretty badly. He hurt his neck and that seems to be the main reason why he hasn’t returned to the floor for the Heat. The Morris twins have been mentioned in plenty of stories trying to demonstrate how tough they are, and people haven’t forgotten about that. That’s why several fans went after Markieff and his attitude towards Jokic.
Still, we hope he gets better as soon as possible and returns to the court to help the Miami Heat, who currently rank 5th in the Eastern Conference with a 16-12 record.
Morris averaged 7.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 10 games with the Floridians.