BOSTON – Kemba Walker, down by one point, with the ball following a switch in which he’s being guarded by a 6-foot-9 forward.
On most nights, this is a dream scenario for Walker and the Charlotte Hornets.
But then you see that the player guarding Walker is Marcus Morris, a versatile defender who has shown time and time again how he can hold his own defensively against bigs as well as ultra-quick guards like Walker.
And Friday was indeed one of those moments for Morris, whose defense against Walker proved critical in Boston rallying for a 90-87 win.
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“Marcus Morris’ switch on Kemba at the end of the game is as good as you can do,” said Celtics head coach Brad Stevens. “That was picture perfect. Kemba has created more highlight reels out of people that switch than probably anybody around. And so Marcus just did a tremendous job; made him take a really tough shot.”
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Morris gets credit for being a versatile defender who can knock down shots if you leave him open too often.
But what doesn’t get talked about is his attention to detail which was on display in the closing seconds when he found himself switched out defensively on Walker.
“I’ve been knowing Kemba for a while,” said Morris who was selected with the 14th pick in the 2011 draft – five spots after Kemba Walker. “His step-back (jumper) was coming at some point. So I tried to stay on top of it.”
Before forcing the Walker miss, Morris drained a 21-foot jumper with 23.8 seconds to play that gave Boston an 88-85 lead.
Both plays were huge in Boston extending its winning streak to 11 in a row.
And while Morris’ big shot certainly was reflected in the final box score, teammates were ecstatic about what he was able to do defensively during the game, but especially how he handled Walker in the closing seconds of play.
“That’s a vet, he has a presence,” Jaylen Brown told NBC Boston Sports. “That’s what we call an O.G. He comes in, we expect him to make plays like that. We know his body is hurting a little bit and he’s getting treatments to feel as good as he possibly can ... we need him to make plays like that.”
Boston’s Daniel Theis was also pleased with the contributions made by Morris.
“He made the big shot but the defense on Kemba was even better,” Theis told NBC Sports Boston. “He made him take a contested two, step-back … for me that was more impressive than the shot he made. I can tell from the first half, he (Walker) is so fast but Marcus did a great job on the last possession.”
Morris added, “We got the ‘W.’ that’s all that matters.”