All of a sudden, the Nuggets are in trouble.
The defending champions were the clear favorite to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals, but no one told the Timberwolves. Minnesota marched into Denver and stole Game 1 on the road, but everyone expected the Nuggets to respond in Game 2.
The Timberwolves were without Defensive Player of the Year-favorite Rudy Gobert due to the birth of his first child, leaving Minnesota without its defensive anchor. The Wolves had no trouble filling that void, jumping out to a jaw-dropping 26-point lead in the first half.
Frustration started to set in for the Nuggets, who haven’t faced much adversity during this dominant two-season stretch. Star guard Jamal Murray let his emotions get the best of him, throwing a heat pack on the court during live play in the second quarter.
Luckily for Murray, his tantrum went unnoticed. The Sporting News takes a closer look at the situation below.
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Murray’s emotions boiled over as the Timberwolves put a beatdown on the Nuggets in the first half of Game 2.
Minnesota corralled an offensive rebound right in front of Denver’s bench, and Murray threw the heat pack for his calf injury on the court.
The heat pack went right by the baseline referee, but the official couldn’t figure out where it came from in real time. Karl-Anthony Towns avoided the obstruction and finished a layup, and then Kentavious Caldwell-Pope chucked the heat pack off the court.
The situation happened — and diffused — so quickly that Murray was not given a technical foul for his action.
The star guard has been dealing with a nagging calf injury since the Lakers series and even though he hasn’t missed any playoff games, he hasn’t looked like himself. That was the case in the first half of Game 2, as Murray went into halftime with just two points on 1-for-10 shooting from the field.
Expect the NBA to discipline Murray for his actions on Tuesday. He is unlikely to be suspended, but a fine feels inevitable.
For example, Stephen Curry has been fined $25,000 on multiple occasions for throwing his mouthpiece into the stands during a game. Heat center Dewayne Dedmon was once ejected for throwing a massage gun onto the court, so Murray is lucky he didn’t get caught.
It will be interesting to see how the NBA penalizes Murray after the fact. Check back for updates as they become available.
