Miami Heat forward Markieff Morris was fined $25,000 by the NBA for interfering with live game play while on the bench.
Morris, who was assessed a technical foul in Game 5 against the Atlanta Hawks for his actions, grabbed and held Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter out of bounds, preventing him from getting back in a play.
This isn’t the first fine that the Heat have received, as star Jimmy Butler and the Heat were fined for his obscene gesture on the bench in Game 5.
Morris played a minimal role for Miami during the regular season, as he missed the majority of the 2021-22 campaign with a neck injury. He has yet to play for the team in the playoffs.
While the fines certainly aren’t ideal, the Heat have to be happy with the fact that they closed out the Hawks in five games in the first round of the playoffs.
Miami was without Butler and guard Kyle Lowry in Game 5, but the team rode a big game from guard Victor Oladipo to a 97-94 win.
Miami will now await the winner of the series between the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors. The Raptors trail the series 3-2, but they have won back-to-back games to force a Game 6 in Toronto on Thursday night.
The Heat are hoping that Butler and Lowry will be healthy enough to play in the second round as they look to make another run to the NBA Finals.
Hopefully, the team will stay in the league’s good graces and avoid any more fines the rest of the postseason.