Grizzlies, Knicks fight may lead to suspensions
The good news Wednesday was the Grizzlies reached .500 for the first time this season after a 127-106 win over the New York Knicks. The bad news was a small fight in the fourth quarter could have some ramifications for Friday's game with the New Orleans Pelicans.
With 48.1 seconds remaining, Knicks guard Elfrid Payton shoved the Grizzlies' Jae Crowder to the floor on a 3-point attempt with Memphis ahead 124-106 at Madison Square Garden.
Crowder got up to shove Payton back, and when Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant intervened, Knicks forward Marcus Morris Sr. shoved Morant. Other players and coaches also tried to intervene.
Payton, Crowder and Morris were ejected, with Payton being assessed a flagrant 2 foul. They now await further discipline from the NBA.
Morris didn't bite his tongue postgame as he expressed displeasure that Crowder took the 3-pointer with the Grizzlies (24-24) leading by a comfortable margin.
"He's got a lot of female tendencies on the court, flopping, throwing his head back the entire game. Like I said, it's a man's game, and you get tired of that," Morris told reporters. "Obviously, at the end, that was very unprofessional. They're winning the game – that's a good team – and he does something like that.
"When you step back and shoot a 3 ... and try to rub it in that they're winning, that's unprofessional. That's soft. His game is soft. He's soft. That's how he carries himself. It's just very woman-like."
Payton also told reporters that he didn't agree with Crowder shooting the 3-pointer and saying it disrespected the game.
Morris later apologized on Twitter for saying "female tendencies" and said it was a heat of the moment response not intended to disrespect women.
Crowder also took to Twitter to defend shooting the 3-pointer when ESPN analyst Tim Legler questioned his decision. He also took another shot at Morris' comments.
The Grizzlies host the Knicks on April 1 at Fedexforum.
It wasn't the only bit of shenanigans that happened after the game. According to the New York Daily News, Morant said the hot water wasn't running in the visitors' locker room. There was also no water pressure in the showers, which prompted Morant to say he was leaving for the hotel to take one.
Besides Crowder, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Marko Guduric could be subject to discipline because both left the bench area and got under the basket before a Grizzlies assistant ran to bring them back.
By rule, any player who leaves the immediate vicinity of the bench during an altercation faces a one-game suspension.
It means the Grizzlies could be even more shorthanded come Friday. They already were without guard De'anthony Melton, who sat out his second game Wednesday with a left hand injury.
The Pelicans, meanwhile, will be at full strength with No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson having returned on Jan. 22. The Pelicans also defeated the Grizzlies on Jan. 20 in their first meeting.
You can reach Evan Barnes on Twitter (@Evan_b) or by email at evan.barnes@commercialappeal.com