Denver Nuggets star guard Jamal Murray did not have a good go at it in Game 2 of their Western Conference Semifinals series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Murray shot just 3-of-18 from the field and scored eight points in what was an ugly 106-80 loss for the defending NBA champions.
It appeared that frustration boiled over on the part of Murray during the game. As you can see in the video below, Murray legitimately threw a heat pack on to the court. It was seemingly aimed at an official.
That’s simply not a good look for Murray. Sure, his Nuggets fell down 2-0 at home in the series. But that’s no excuse for throwing a temper tantrum. He should know better than that.
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Jamal Murray facing possible suspension for must-win Denver Nuggets game
NBA insider Marc Stein reported on Tuesday that Murray is facing discipline from the league office for his on-court antics. In particular, said discipline will likely come ahead of Game 3 in Minnesota on Friday night. That could seem to suggest that the Association is considering suspending Murray.
“I didn’t actually see it happen. And the way 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. We tried to impress upon them there probably aren’t many fans in the building who have a heat pack, so it probably had to come from the bench. Which they found logical.
“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 certainly can’t allow that to happen.”
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch on the Jamal Murray situation
It will certainly be interesting to see what comes of this. What we do know is that Denver is in must-win mode. A loss on Friday would push this to 3-0. No team has ever come back from that deficit in a best-of-seven NBA Playoff series.