Markieff Morris, Seth Curry Shorts Tug Controversy Makes Waves

Markieff Morris was a key part of the Washington Wizards’ 125-124 overtime victory over the Portland Trail Blazers last night, but according to some, he never should have gotten the chance to make the difference. As Gin Nathan of Deadspin chronicles, and Twitter user CJ Fogler tweets, on the final play of regulation with the score tied, Morris grabbed Trail Blazers’ guard Seth Curry’s shorts as Curry drifted to the corner for a possible three, a wholly illegal move.

The ball did not come to Curry while Morris was so engaged, and the dirty trick did not appear to materially affect the outcome. Had the infraction been caught, it could have been grounds for ejection, which would have prevented Morris from scoring 9 points in the ensuing overtime period. That would have likely been decisive in a game the Wizards won by a single point.

A hundred small moments build up to any big outcome. This was was slightly special because it was sneakier than most and because Morris ended up making a huge splash in OT. Maybe Curry will have a return favor when the Blazers and Wizards meet again on November 18th.