The Minnesota Timberwolves were not happy with Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray for tossing a heat pack onto the court during Game 2.
Murray and the Nuggets were frustrated throughout the 106-80 blowout loss. The defending champs are now down 0-2 and have a tough road ahead after losing their home-court advantage.
Things escalated in the second quarter as Murray was spotted tossing a heat pack from the bench onto the court during a play. It seemed to hit the foot of Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns as he made a layup, but it didn't affect the play.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch spoke about the incident after the game, describing it as both "dangerous" and "inexcusable."
“I actually didn't witness it,” Finch said. “And from what was explained to me, the referees didn't see it either. So they can't give a technical unless they see it. We tried to explain to them that there probably aren't many fans in the building with a heat pack, so it likely came from the bench. They found that reasonable.
“It's inexcusable and dangerous. I'm sure it was just a mistake and an oversight. I'm sure the officiating had no ill intent at all. But we can't allow that to happen.”
Jamal Murray is unlikely to be suspended.
It's uncommon for a player to throw something onto the court. At the time, there was no call on the play, and officials seemed unaware that it was a player who threw the object onto the court.
There was speculation that Murray might have been ejected and possibly suspended for his actions. However, crew chief Marc Davis said it would have resulted in a technical foul.
“I was the lead official, and I didn't notice it was on the floor or where it came from until Towns scored,” Davis told a pool reporter, per ESPN. “We weren't aware it had come from the bench. If we would have been aware it came from the bench, we could have reviewed it under the hostile act trigger. The penalty would have been a technical foul.”
Davis added: “For an ejection, you would have to determine it was thrown directly at somebody versus thrown in frustration.”
Murray will likely face a fine from the league. He did not speak to reporters after the Game 2 loss. Murray scored 8 points on 3-for-18 shooting.
Nuggets Displeased With Officiating
The Nuggets led 2-0 at the start but trailed the rest of the way in the blowout loss. Denver coach Michael Malone expressed his frustration with the officials in the first quarter after Murray believed he had taken a charge from Towns.
Malone surprisingly didn't receive a technical for storming onto the court and yelling at the refs.
“When [Murray] is out there battling a guy like Karl-Anthony Towns and trying to take charge in what I thought was an easy call and he is not rewarded, I owe it to Jamal Murray or anybody else in that situation to voice my opinion, to voice my concern or disagreement,” Malone said. “That wound up being a big play because things after that did not go our way. Which is unfortunate, but that is my job. I am going to fight for my guys. I think I have to fight even more for them.”
The Nuggets must now work hard to maintain their season. The series moves to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4. The Timberwolves were 30-11 at home this season and have a 6-0 record in the postseason. Minnesota won all the games against the Phoenix Suns in the first round.
