Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch criticized Denver Nuggets goaltender Jamal Murray for throwing a heating pad on the floor in the fourth of Tuesday’s second game between the teams.
Murray wasn’t cautioned for a technical foul because the referees didn’t notice the pad on the ground. Finch called Murray’s moves “dangerous” and “unforgivable. “
“We tried to get the referees to understand that there’s probably a lot of enthusiasts in construction who have a heat bag, so it probably had to come from the bench, which they thought made sense,” Finch told reporters. “I’m sure it was a mistake and an oversight and not something intentional on the part of officials, but I can’t allow that to happen. “
Game 2 was a largely depressing experience for Murray, who finished with just eight points on 3-of-18 shooting. He shot just 28. 1 percent from the box as the Nuggets surprisingly fell to an 0-2 gap against the upstart Timberwolves. Monday’s loss was made even more unexpected by the fact that Minnesota was without middle Rudy Gobert, who missed the game to attend the birth of his first child.
Nuggets star Nikola Jokić said Murray had lost his feelings on the court (2:10):
Referee Marc Davis said Murray had been called for a technical foul but would not have been ejected from the game. Murray will almost certainly be sanctioned by the NBA in the coming days, most likely in the form of a fine.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone told reporters he didn’t know Murray was pulling the rug out from under him.
“I’m not even aware of it,” Malone said. I can’t comment. But if it does, we’ll have to see what happens. I wasn’t aware of it. I knew there was a “warm-packet on the ground, but it wasn’t in my line of sight. “
The Nuggets have 3 days off to regroup before Game 3 at Minnesota on Friday.