On Tuesday, May 7th, the NBA fined Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray $100,000 because he threw some items in the direction of a game official during live play. This was announced by a league official.
Minnesota Timberwolves Versus Denver Nuggets
The incidents occurred during Game 2, in which the Denver Nuggets played the Minnesota Timberwolves, where they beat the Nuggets 106-80.
In the Western Conference semifinal series, the Timberwolves had a 2-0 lead and won both games in Denver. Murray was struggling in the two games. He was 3-for-18 from the field in Game 2, scored eight points, and committed four turnovers.
Jamal Murray’s Behavior
Murray had thrown a heating pad and a towel during live play. After the game, Chris Finch, the coach of The Timberwolves, said that what Murray did was dangerous and inexcusable. But despite his actions and his coach’s criticism, Murray wasn’t penalized during the game.
Marc Davis, who was the lead official referee for the game, addressed what happened afterward and said that he didn’t notice where the objects had come from or what they were until after a player had scored. If they had, they would have penalized Murray for a “hostile act trigger.”
Why the Penalty Was Not Ejection
Davis also clarified that an ejection would only happen if the object was thrown directly at a person and not simply in frustration, as those are two different situations.
On Wednesday, May 8th, Jamal Murray admitted his actions were wrong, although he didn’t really apologize. He simply said “It is what it is” and that he was taking full responsibility and would move “on to the next,” not explaining his actions or who the objects were directed at if they were directed at anyone at all.