While the Minnesota Timberwolves stunned everyone by taking a 2-0 lead over the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals, the night’s biggest talking point wasn’t about Anthony Edwards and CO. taking a commanding lead over the defending champs.
Instead, all eyes were on Nuggets star Jamal Murray’s outburst, where he appeared to fling his heating pad onto the court toward referee Marc Davis.
The TNT camera shows Nuggets star Jamal Murray throwing a heat pack from the bench right into game action on the floor before a T-Wolves bucket. ⁉️ pic.twitter.com/btZp6dbtZR
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 7, 2024
It would hardly be a surprise to see the league come down hard on Murray despite Draymond Green’s objection to that idea. It was a dangerous act for Murray to take, and several sports media morning shows discussed the possibility of his suspension as the series turned to Minnesota.
That included ESPN’s Get Up, where Tim Legler, who is charting a new course in digital media, swiped at the Denver Nuggets guard.
Legler said he’d be shocked if Murray wasn’t suspended and wasn’t entirely sure how the league wouldn’t suspend a player for throwing an object. While he made his point clear, he also took a dig at Murray’s less-than-stellar shooting performance, including his heave of the heat pack in that discussion.
“By the way, on a night he was 3-for-18,” Legler said. “I’m not shocked he missed Marc Davis with that heat pack.”
Tim Legler on Jamal Murray throwing a heat pack toward official Marc Davis on Monday night: “He was 3-for-18. I’m not shocked he missed Marc Davis with that heat pack.” pic.twitter.com/mMawnqvSTV
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 7, 2024
Ouch.
3-for-19 if you count missing Davis.
Murray’s frustration likely stemmed partly from a questionable non-call earlier in the game. Karl-Anthony Towns seemingly plowed through him for a layup for what the Nuggets and Murray thought to be an obvious charge. And as Minnesota pulled away with a double-digit lead, it’s entirely possible that Murray could still have been fuming over that missed call.
Motives aside, throwing objects on the court is unacceptable. While Murray’s potential suspension remains up in the air, Legler seized the moment to play a playful jab at his expense.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.