NBA announces Jamal Murray’s costly punishment for action during Denver Nuggets Game 2 loss to Timberwolves

The NBA decided to punish Jamal Murray upon further review.

Murray was fined $100,000 on Tuesday but will not be suspended for Friday’s Game 3 for his actions in Denver’s loss to the Timberwolves on Monday. The Athletic was first to report the punishment, and the Denver Gazette confirmed the report Tuesday night.

The Nuggets’ starting point guard was visibly upset with the officiating early and often in Game 2. It started with Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns bowled over Murray on the way to the basket a little more than eight minutes into the game. Nuggets coach Michael Malone took a timeout after Anthony Edwards drove for a layup and put the Timberwolves up five a possession later. Denver’s coach walked right toward referee Marc Davis and gave the crew chief a few pieces of his mind.

“Frustrating night. The frustration creeped over. I thought we lost control of our emotions a little bit tonight,” Malone said postgame.

“I thought Jamal Murray took a charge, and it wasn’t granted, but we have to have a little bit more poise when they’re going on a run, when we’re not getting calls, whatever it may be. You’ve got to be able to handle that.”

Murray didn’t do a great job of managing his irritation. Multiple videos appeared to show Murray throwing a towel and later a heating pack in Davis’s direction. Minnesota coach Chris Finch called it “inexcusable and dangerous.” Malone said he was unaware of any such actions postgame.

“I’m not even aware of that, so I really can’t comment,” Malone said minutes after the game ended. “But, if that’s the case, we’ll have to see what happens.”

During a pool report conducted by the Denver Gazette, Davis acknowledged he and his fellow referees did not realize where the heating pack, presumably used on Murray’s strained left calf, had come from.

“If we would have been aware it came from the bench, we could have reviewed it under the hostile act trigger,” Davis said. “The penalty would have been a technical foul.”

Davis added that an ejection would not have been warranted unless it was determined Murray threw the object at an individual. The heat pack skidded across the Ball Arena court during play, and Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope picked it up and tossed it back to the sideline when play was stopped.

“For an ejection you would have to determine it was thrown directly at somebody versus thrown in frustration,” Davis clarified.

Murray also briefly rubbed his thumb, index, and middle fingers together at a different point in the game. That same money-sign gesture cost Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert $100,000 in the regular season.

Denver’s starting point guard left the arena before speaking to the media postgame.