Monte Morris’ hard foul on Draymond Green in the second half of Game 4 looked vicious, but it was all love between the two Michigan natives.
The Warriors failed to complete a four-game sweep of the Denver Nuggets in the first-round NBA playoff matchup Sunday, with their series lead falling to 3-1 after the 126-121 loss at Ball Arena.
The Nuggets brought a fighting spirit into Sunday’s contest, and that fire showed on the court as Morris went up to block a shot by Green with 5:26 left in the third quarter. The 6-foot-2, 183-pound point guard went head to head with the Dubs’ 6-foot-6, 230-pound power forward and came out on top, flexing over Green as he fell to the ground.
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Even though he was assessed a foul on the play, Morris was all smiles as Green yelled at him from the court floor. The opponents shook hands after Morris was able to get back onto his feet.
While speaking to reporters after the game, Morris said the hard foul on Green was payback for the Warriors star busting his lip open in Game 3.
“It was fun, man,” Morris said, smiling. “I actually seen the replay. They replayed it like, three or four times. But we dapped each other up, you know. It’s all love. We’ve been going at it and been rivals since we was growing up and things like that. So that was a good foul.”
Golden State Warriors
Green and Morris grew up in the Michigan towns of Saginaw and Flint, respectively, which are separated by just a 35-minute drive. The two are friends, having played pick-up together coming up in their home state, and were even texting about Thursday’s lip-busting play the next day, per Mike Singer of the Denver Post.
When Morris had the chance to get back at his friend, he jumped on it.
“I just had to let him know Flint a little tougher than Saginaw, alright?” Morris laughed.
Morris’ teammate Bones Hyland joined him at the podium after the game and said the point guard’s foul and subsequent flex got the Nuggets fired up enough to finish the win.
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“We gotta show we don’t got all the muscles, but we got the most in the heart,” Hyland said. “... [Morris] let them know ain’t nothing easy, and that ignited the crowd and even ignited the bench to get that energy flowing … We always just want to play tough and make it tough for them.”
The Nuggets fought off elimination but will meet the Warriors on the court again for Game 4 on Wednesday back at Chase Center.
After Sunday’s performance, Green can be sure to expect another battle with Morris.