The headlines coming from the Denver Nuggets' Game 2 loss at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves weren't necessarily the fact that the defending NBA champions now trail 2-0 in the Western Conference Semifinals, but if Jamal Murray's antics in this game cost his team. To say the Nuggets have been extremely frustrated against the Timberwolves would be an understatement. Between losing two games on their home floor by 33 combined points and not cracking triple-digits in points on offense, Denver has every right to be mad at themselves. However, Murray seemed to take things too far when he began throwing objects on the court towards official Marc Davis in Game 2.
Murray let his emotions get the best of him when he threw a heat pack onto the court in the middle of a play from the Nuggets' bench area. None of the three officials seemed to notice Murray throw the heat pack onto the court. They did not see him throw a towel towards Davis 15 seconds prior either. The Nuggets' ball boy quickly ran out onto the court to pick up the objects before Davis or anyone else could slip on them. Luckily, nobody was hurt in either instance.
Upon review of what had occurred, the league made the decision on Tuesday evening to punish Murray with a $100,000 penalty, the largest fine that they could send his way. Although Murray has been reprimanded by Adam Silver and the league office for his behavior, many have asked the question of whether or not the Nuggets guard should have received a suspension on top of his fine. Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch shared his thoughts on the matter after the game, questioning how the officials missed this action from Murray.
“I didn't actually see it happen, but when it was explained to me; the referees didn't see it either, so they're not able to issue a technical unless they see it. There probably aren't many fans in the building who have a heat pack, so it probably had to come from the bench,” Finch told reporters after Game 2. “But yeah, it's inexcusable and dangerous. I'm sure it was just a mistake and an oversight. I'm sure there was nothing intentional by the officiating at all, but you certainly can't allow that to happen.”
Davis also pointed out in his postgame pool report that a technical foul would've been issued to Murray in the middle of Game 2 if the referees had noticed what had occurred.
Jamal Murray speaks on Game 2 antics
The Nuggets can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Murray will be available for Game 3 in Minnesota on Friday night. Without Murray on the floor this season, Denver went just 13-10. Next to Nikola Jokic, he is the most important player for the Nuggets' offense.
Head coach Michael Malone and the Nuggets staff are going to devise a game plan to not only stop Anthony Edwards but figure out how to get through the Timberwolves' solid defense. So far, through two games, they have not been successful in doing so. That is why all of the focus for this organization is on Game 3 and nothing else.
Murray, who recently received his $100,000 fine from the league, was asked about his mindset heading into Friday night's game during the team's practice on Wednesday. The Nuggets' star made it clear that his focus was on the game ahead.
“It is what it is. I take full responsibility, onto the next,” Murray told reporters, via Jake Shapiro of Denver Sports. “Yeah, onto the next. It happened two days ago. Not much to say about it now.”
Murray quickly stopped the conversation about his actions and his fine by asking the media if they had any basketball questions to ask him.
Malone was also asked about Murray's Game 2 actions during Wednesday's practice, pointing out that he expects his guard to bounce back in a major way during Game 3.
“I've never seen that from Jamal,” Malone stated, via Vic Lombardi of Altitude TV. “That was very uncharacteristic for me. I think it is a combination of all of the above. Combination of taking a charge and it's not called. Combination of not making shots at the level we know he is capable of making. Combination of us being down 30 points to a team we are trying to beat to get to the Western Conference Finals. When you put all of that in the boiling pot, man, that's a lot to handle.
“Jamal will bounce back, I have no doubt about that.”
NBA world upset with league's decision on fine over suspension
The good thing is that nobody got hurt by slipping on the towel or heat pad thrown by Murray. But what would have happened if someone did slip and actually injure themselves? What if Timberwolves All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns' foot came down on the heat pad that was launched onto the court and was ruled out for the remainder of the series? Would that have changed the league's decision to fine or suspend Murray?
All of these questions are relevant to the situation, and many have voiced their dissatisfaction with the league's decision to fine Murray instead of suspending him. One of those was ESPN's Mike Greenberg, who pointed out on Twitter that Muray's $100,000 fine is just about 0.3 percent of his yearly salary and doesn't really send a clear message that his actions were wrong. Former NBA player and ESPN analyst Tim Legler also chimed in on social media, claiming that he was “surprised” that Murray did not receive a suspension.
Many other fans have made the claim that Murray deserved to be suspended for one game due to his reckless actions.
While there are no indications that this is what the league was thinking, would they really want to suspend Murray and put the defending champions in a spot where they would likely go down 0-3 in this series? Perhaps the Nuggets may still lose Game 3 on the road, but without Murray, they would have virtually no shot of defeating the Timberwolves. It is unlikely that this discussion came up in the league office when they were disciplining Murray, but NBA fans will always keep this thought in the back of their minds. After what just occurred with Jontay Porter's gambling scheme, you just never know anymore.
The NBA takes everything that happens with their players seriously, which is why the maximum fine for Murray was given. Then again, they failed to send a clear message that this type of behavior won't be tolerated on the court. Behind the scenes, it is very likely that the Nuggets guard had a lengthy phone call with either Silver or other representatives from the league, punishing him for his actions.
Murray, who did not receive a suspension for what transpired in Game 2, now shifts his focus to being ready for Game 3. This is the biggest game of the season for the Nuggets, as a loss would effectively put them in a spot no team has ever found success in.
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