Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray has been fined $100,000 by the NBA for unsportsmanlike conduct during a playoff game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The incident involved Murray throwing multiple objects, including a towel and a heat pack, towards a game official during live play. Despite the fine, Murray avoided suspension, the NBA announced on Tuesday.
The events unfolded late in the second quarter of the Nuggets’ 108-80 loss to the Timberwolves, which saw Denver fall into a 2-0 series deficit in the Western Conference semifinals. Frustrated by a significant scoring gap and the officiating, Murray’s actions caught significant attention when he threw a heat pack onto the court, sliding it across the floor during live play.
This occurrence was highlighted in TNT’s replay, showing Murray at the end of Denver’s bench as he launched the heat pack. It moved across the floor just as Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns was scoring a layup. Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope quickly retrieved the heat pack, while the arena’s public-address announcer cautioned against throwing objects onto the court.
Marc Davis, the officiating crew chief, later stated in a post-game interview with a pool reporter that the officials had been unaware of the source of the thrown object. He noted, “We could have reviewed it under the hostile act trigger. The penalty would have been a technical foul.”
Minnesota’s head coach Chris Finch addressed the situation, emphasizing the unlikelihood of a fan possessing a heat pack and suggested the need for more attentiveness from the officials: “We tried to impress upon (the officials) that there’s probably not many fans in the building that have a heat pack. So, it probably had to come from the bench.”
Finch also did not mince words about Murray’s actions, describing them as “inexcusable and dangerous.”
Following the game, Murray did not interact with the media, and Nuggets coach Michael Malone was non-committal when asked about the situation, stating he wasn’t aware that Murray was responsible for the actions.
The Nuggets did not have a game the following day, and the team’s next media availability is scheduled after Wednesday’s practice.
Murray’s frustration was perhaps compounded by his own performance; he shot 3 of 18 in Game 2, managing only eight points. This marked a stark contrast to his usual playoff performances, as it was the first time he had gone scoreless in the first half of his 59 career playoff games, a streak that began in Game 1 of this series.
