Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray has taken “full responsibility” for his actions during Game 2 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, which resulted in an NBA $100,000 fine.
The NBA fined Murray for tossing a towel and heat pack onto the court “in the direction of a game official during live play” in the second quarter of the 106-80 loss. He also made a money sign at an official earlier in the quarter.
When asked about the incident, Murray said, “I take everything in full responsibility, so on to the next.” He declined to comment further, saying, “Yeah, on to the next. I mean, two days ago, not much for me to say about it right now.”
Nuggets coach Michael Malone had a stern message for his team, saying, “Guys, we’re the reigning world champions. Act like it and play like it.” Malone showed his team nine clips from Game 2, highlighting their mistakes and challenging them to take ownership of their actions.
Murray, who has been struggling with a strained left calf and a lost shooting touch, acknowledged that the team needs to stay composed and find a way to stick together during the game. “We’ve just got to be ready to play and not get frustrated with how the game goes sometimes, and we allowed it to take us out of our game,” he said.
Malone attributed Murray’s outburst to a combination of factors, including taking a charge that wasn’t called, not making shots at his usual level, and being down 30 points to a team they’re trying to beat to reach the Western Conference finals.
“We’ve got to be able to handle adversity better than we did the other night,” Malone said. “We’ve got to be able to handle frustration better than we did the other night.”
The Nuggets are down 2-0 in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series, with Game 3 on Friday night in Minnesota. They’re facing a tough task, but Murray is confident in his team’s ability to bounce back.
“We’ve been in tough situations before, and we’ve always come out on top,” Murray said. “We just need to stay focused and play to our strengths.”
The Nuggets must regroup and refocus to make a comeback in the series. They’ve struggled on both ends of the court, and their usual high-powered offense has been absent.
“We’ve got to be able to execute better on offense, and we’ve got to be able to get stops on defense,” Malone said. “It’s as simple as that.”
The Nuggets hope to turn things around in Game 3, but it won’t be easy. They’ll need to come out strong and play with a sense of urgency to avoid falling behind 3-0 in the series.
“We know what’s at stake, and we know what we need to do,” Murray said. “We just need to go out there and do it.”
