Markieff Morris Fined $15K for Inappropriate Comments Towards Referee vs. Hawks

Washington Wizards forward Markieff Morris has been fined $15,000 for "directing inappropriate comments toward a game official," according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

Morris was ejected in the first quarter of Friday's game against the Atlanta Hawks after receiving two technical fouls, as captured by NBC Sports Washington:

The Wizards lost 103-97 in an important game for playoff seeding purposes.

Morris ended his night playing only eight minutes, finishing 1-of-6 shooting. The rest of the squad couldn't pick up the slack in what ended up being a home loss to the worst team in the Eastern Conference.

Wizards coach Scott Brooks called the squad "a selfish basketball team" after the game, per Candace Buckner of the Washington Post. He also made sure to point out Morris' mistake in not keeping his cool.

"You can't get frustrated enough to get thrown out of a game, especially when we’re shorthanded," Brooks said. "He knows that. He’s been in this league long enough, and we cannot continue to put ourselves in those positions."

Interestingly, his twin brother Marcus Morris also was ejected the same night with the Boston Celtics, per Kurt Helin of NBC Sports.

The loss was the Wizards' fourth in a row as they dropped to 42-38, good for eighth place in the East. While they have already clinched a playoff spot, this recent slide has dropped them from a possible six seed to the final slot in the postseason.

Meanwhile, Morris has been a key part of the team's success while starting all 71 of his games this season, but the ejection was his second of the year and sixth of the past two seasons. He has been called for 13 technical fouls this year, two short of the automatic mark for suspension.

If the Wizards are going to make a run in the postseason, the team has to learn how to keep its composure.