Markieff Morris Suspended 2 Games: Latest Details and Reaction

Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris apparently threw a towel at head coach Jeff Hornacek during the fourth quarter of a 104-96 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 23. He was suspended for his actions, per the team.

"My frustration got the best of me last night," Morris said in a statement on Twitter. "It won't happen again. I apologize to Jeff. My teammates told me I hit coach with the towel. In no way was that towel intended for him. I just want to help my team win so much. That's my focus moving forward."

Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports first reported the team suspended Morris.

After serving his suspension, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reported Morris "will be asked to apologize to his Suns coaches and teammates, make a renewed commitment to the team for games, practices, weight-training sessions and treatment sessions and attend all NBA and Suns community appearances," citing a source.

"He said he wanted to get back, help his teammates and help us win," Hornacek said after Morris returned to practice Tuesday following his suspension, per Paul Coro of AZCentral.com.

The forward is averaging 10.8 points and 4.8 rebounds a night this season, but he was the third power forward off the bench in the loss to Denver and hasn't played 30 minutes in a game since Nov. 25. Phoenix will play the 2-31 Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday and the 20-9 Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday during Morris' suspension.

Charania provided more context to the news: "When told during [the] game that he nailed Hornacek in [the] leg, Morris told teammates he hadn't intended to hit [the] coach. Two games, no pay for Morris."

Coro noted Morris threw the towel while "barking at Hornacek" when he was taken out with less than 10 minutes remaining.

This is far from the first issue between the Suns and Morris. He asked for a trade during the offseason after Phoenix traded his brother, Marcus, to the Detroit Pistons.

Marcus actually talked about Morris' situation in Phoenix in November, per Marc Stein of ESPN.com: "He just don't look comfortable. He don't look too excited. I feel like I'm enjoying where I'm at. I hope he goes somewhere where he's happy too, so we both can play basketball, get back to playing normal."

With the relationship between Morris, his coach and his team continuing to deteriorate, the Suns have fallen out of the Western Conference playoff picture.