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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Jamal Murray throws heat pack onto court in Game 2 vs. Timberwolves
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.
Jamal Murray throws a heat pack pic.twitter.com/JDADMojQgp
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 7, 2024
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.
Will Jamal Murray be suspended for throwing heat pack on court?
The NBA announced that Murray will not be suspended for his actions. Instead, he will pay a hefty $100,000 fine.
The following was released by the NBA: pic.twitter.com/MlbHrJ3qtQ
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 7, 2024
That penalty is on par with other similar examples in recent history.
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 in real time.
