Clippers’ Marcus Morris, Dallas’ Luka Doncic fined by NBA

Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr. turned 31 on Wednesday, but it wasn’t exactly the happiest of birthdays after the NBA issued him a $35,000 fine for “recklessly striking� Dallas guard Luka Doncic above the neck during Game 6 of the team’s first-round series.

The flagrant-2 foul he committed in Sunday’s series-clinching Clippers victory followed two previous incidents between the two players. Morris made contact after the whistle on Doncic in Game 1 that led to a heated disagreement between the teams, and Doncic’s left shoe came off in Game 4 after it was stepped on by Morris near the ankle Doncic had injured earlier in the series. After that incident, and his ejection in Game 6 after the flagrant-2 foul on Doncic, Morris defended himself by saying he played hard but was not a dirty player.

That history was taken into account when determining how much the NBA would dock Morris. The $35,000 fine was “based in part on the fact that Morris Sr. has been disciplined on several prior occasions for physical altercations on the court,� the NBA wrote in announcing the fine.

Doncic did not escape the first postseason of his NBA career without a lighter wallet, either. He was fined $15,000 for throwing the ball off the legs of an official in Game 6. Doncic was assessed a technical foul on the play.

The second-seeded Clippers open the second round of the playoffs Thursday at 6 p.m. (Pacific) against third-seeded Denver.