Jamal Murray fined $100,000 for launching a heating pad and towel on the floor

During the Denver Nuggets’ blowout loss in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals, Jamal Murray threw a heating pad and towel onto the court during the game. Now, the NBA is throwing a hefty fine back at him.

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the League levied a not-so-light $100,000 fine on Jamal Murray for the incident. Part of the reason the penalty was so pricey was that the NBA judged that Murray directed his projectiles at an official.

Typically, Murray shoots imaginary arrows, so real heating pads is certainly a step up.

Did he really throw it? Well, he certainly flung his arms forward out of frustration at the ref and the heating pad, which was wrapped in a towel, slipped out of his hands. At least, this might have been a reasonable excuse, but it did happen twice in a matter of seconds. The second time, the pad made its way to the floor and under the feet of several players vying for offensive rebounds.

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— John Brisker (@JohnBrisker2021) May 7, 2024

Was the penalty too light or too harsh?

It all went down in the 2nd quarter after a series of perceived unjustified no-calls, one of which came on a fairly clear charge on Karl-Anthony Towns that the officials let go without a whistle in either direction. At one point Nuggets head coach, Mike Malone called a timeout and screamed in the face of a referee with the fire of 1000 suns.

Somehow, no one received a technical for any of these outbursts during the game.

Luckily for Murray, he did not get suspended. Critics of the cash-only fine are also frustrated because they say Murray also made money gestures during the game, suggesting the officials were fixing the game. Historically, the NBA has been harsh for actions taken against officials, so skirting by without missing time might have been fortunate.

Much love to Murray, but the defending champs simply got their butts handed to them by the better team that night. The Minnesota Timberwolves are on a mission and are taking no prisoners. They are now 6-0 in the playoffs and hold a 2-0 advantage over Denver as the series goes back to Minnesota.