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Jamal Murray Saves $50,000 As Refs Give Clarity On Punishment For Nuggets Star’s Inexcusable Behaviour vs Wolves

Published 05/07/2024, 6:15 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

Amid the embarrassing loss at Ball Arena, Jamal Murray narrowly missed a $50,000 fine. Nothing was going in the Denver Nuggets‘ favor as the Minnesota Timberwolves dominated the entire game to produce a 106-80 win. However, Bubble Murray had a particular moment go in his favor. The point guard engaged in an inexcusable act from the courtside. Luckily, he got away with it as the refs failed to notice it. Nevertheless, following the game, the chief ref Marc Davis issued a clarification via a pool report.

During the halfway stage of the game, a video of Murray went viral on social media. No, it wasn’t his step-back jumper. During the second quarter, reacting to a play, Murray threw a heater pack from the bench in frustration. Even though it didn’t hit anyone, it landed on the hot floor and Karl-Anthony Towns stepped on it before making a bucket. Strangely, the game went on without a review of the act.

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Following the game, Marc Davis addressed the issue via an official pool report to Denver Gazette’s Vinny Benedetto. Davis clarified that he wasn’t aware of the object thrown onto the floor until Towns made that bucket. He further added, “If we would have been aware it came from the bench, we could have reviewed it under the hostile act trigger. The penalty would have been a technical foul.”

Nonetheless, Jamal Murray got away with the act without any trouble, if at all, the referee caught him in the act. It could have even escalated to an ejection. Notably, the maximum fine amount that a player has to pay for ejection is $50,000. Importantly, Davis also clarified that Murray would have only received a technical foul, as he didn’t throw the object at anyone and instead threw it in frustration.

In the first quarter, coach Michael Malone sneaked away without any action after a heated argument with the ref. And, Aaron Gordon received a tech for arguing with the refs in the third quarter. The Nuggets definitely had an eventful night on the court.

From the Vault: players throwing stuff onto the court

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There is always an archive for an act in the NBA world. Especially for throwing objects on the court, there are two instances handy. Firstly, the refs ejected Miami Heat‘s Dewayne Dedmon for throwing a massage gun onto the court from the bench in the last season. Dedmon seemed upset with his coach Erik Spoelstra for benching him after under five minutes.

The refs reviewed the play and ejected him from the game for his hostile act. While he didn’t throw the massage gun at anyone, it landed near the three-point line.

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The second instance is a popular one in the NBA world. It involved Chef Stephen Curry. In 2016, the superstar threw his mouthpiece into the stands in Finals Game 6 in frustration. The refs immediately ejected him off the court. We all know, what happened next. The Cavs made a historic 3-1 comeback in the series and won the title.

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What do you make of Jamal Murray’s narrow escape? Will he make it count in the upcoming games? Let us know in the comments below.

 

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Written by:

Shahul Hameed

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Shahul Hameed is a Senior NBA Writer at EssentiallySports. Armed with a Master's Degree in journalism from a distinguished institute, his journey into sports writing began during his college days, and since then, Shahul has been captivated not only by the remarkable consistency of Stephen Curry but also by the enduring legacy of LeBron James. He specializes in covering the live basketball action.
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Edited by:

Jayant Chhabra