Jamal Murray Not Suspended for Throwing Heat Pad Onto Court in Game 2

May 7, 2024 Jimm Sallivan

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray will not be suspended by the NBA for throwing a heat pad and a towel onto the court while on the bench during Game 2 against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.

Although he won’t miss any game action during the Western Conference semifinals, Murray didn’t get off scot-free. The 27-year-old will be hit with a substantial fine of $100,000 for “throwing multiple objects in the direction of a game official during live play,” according to a statement from the league.

Murray was on the bench with just under five minutes remaining in the second quarter of Monday night’s game, when he was seen throwing the heating pad onto the court while play was live. The pad and towel landed next to the foot of Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored a layup on the play, and was removed moments later by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Officials did not stop play, and Murray did not receive a technical foul.

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

The Nuggets, already trailing 2–0 in the series, have managed to avoid what would’ve been a significant blow had Murray been suspended. Instead, he’ll be available for Game 3 on Friday, which tips off from the Target Center at 9:30 p.m. ET.

In two games against the Timberwolves during the second round, Murray is averaging just 12.5 points and shooting 28.1% from the field.

7 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Draymond Green Doesn’t Think Jamal Murray Deserves Suspension For Game 2 Antics

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray's antics in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves could potentially result in a suspension after he was seen throwing a heating pack onto the court from the bench while play was live.

Although the incident went unnoticed by officials during the game, the moment was caught on the TNT broadcast, prompting plenty of discussion online among fans as to whether Murray deserves to be suspended.

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green weighed in on the situation during the latest episode of his podcast, and he made clear that he didn't believe that Murray's actions warranted a suspension.

"I was just online and I see people are like, 'Oh Jamal Murray's probably going to get suspended for throwing the heat pack,'" Green said. "I mean I didn’t think he'd get suspended, although that was very dangerous. Somebody steps on that, A, it leaves a wet spot. B, it can really jack somebody up. But I didn’t see that and be like my first thought wasn’t, ‘Ah, he’ll get suspended.’"

"It's crazy how people just automatically start calling for suspensions these days. I just don’t really understand that. But in saying that, man, Denver's down bad right now," he added.

Game 2 was a frustrating one for the Nuggets, as they were held to a season-low 80 points by an overwhelming Timberwolves defense. The usually composed squad appeared rattled, particularly Murray who was facing frequent pressure from the moment he entered Minnesota's half.

Although no one was hurt after Murray launched the heating pack onto the court, it was a reckless move from the 27-year-old, and one which could've led to an injury or accident. A suspension certainly isn't out of the question for Murray, who figures to at least be fined for his actions, though an official decision in that regard has yet to be made by the league.

7 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Michael Malone Delivers Brutally Honest Review of Nuggets’ Humbling Game 2 Defeat

The Denver Nuggets were absolutely hammered by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night, losing Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series 106-80. After the game, Nuggets coach Michael Malone gave a brutal assessment of where his team stood.

Malone did not sound happy when addressing his team's loss. He said, "They kicked our a--. Yeah, it got away from us. It's going to be a challenge. The body language is not where I think it needs to be. We just got beat up in our building. We got embarrassed in front of our fans." Malone continued, "You feel embarrassed. You feel exposed. What are you going to do about it."

The defending NBA champs have their backs against the wall. They have opened the series with two home losses and things will now shift back to Minneapolis and the Timberwolves have all the momentum. Malone was right to feel embarrassed and uneasy.

Denver didn't get what it needed from its stars in Game 2. Nikola Jokic had 16 points, 16 rebounds and eight asists but was 5-for-13 from the field. Jamal Murray struggled mightily and finished with eight points, 13 rebounds, two assists, two steals and was 3-of-18 from the field.

On the other side of things, the Timberwolves got everything they needed from their big stars. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks while going 10-for-15 from the field and 3-for-5 from three-point range. Anthony Edwards continued his breakout postseason, scored 27 points, adding seven assists and finishing an efficient 11-for-17 from the field.

Malone and the Nuggets will need to find an answer quickly to turn things around or they'll become the sixth consecutive defending champion that failed to reach the NBA Finals.

6 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

NBA Playoff Schedule: Full Rundown for Conference Semifinals

The first round of the 2024 NBA postseason had some great matchups, and things will only get better from here on out. Saturday marked the start of the second round of the playoffs, when true contenders battle against one another in an effort to reach the final four of their conference. Iron sharpens iron, after all, and this year's slate of Round 2 contests look pretty great across the board.

Fewer games means fewer overlapping broadcast times, too. After two weeks with up to three NBA games on every night, we're more or less back to the standard of an Eastern Conference tip-off around 7 p.m. ET and a Western Conference tip-off around 10 p.m. ET.

For your viewing habit purposes, here is the full schedule for the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs, organized by series.

NBA Playoff Schedule for Second Round

Eastern Conference

(1) Boston Celtics v. (4) Cleveland Cavaliers

• Game 1: Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Tuesday, May 7 (7 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 2: Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Thursday, May 9 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Game 3: Celtics vs. Cavaliers, Saturday, May 11 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
• Game 4: Celtics vs. Cavaliers, Monday, May 13 (7 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 5 (if necessary): Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Wednesday, May 15 (TBD)
• Game 6 (if necessary): Celtics vs. Cavaliers, Friday, May 17 (TBD)
• Game 7 (if necessary): Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Sunday, May 19 (TBD)

(2) New York Knicks v. (3) Indiana Pacers

• Game 1: Pacers vs. Knicks, Monday, May 6 (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 2: Pacers vs. Knicks, Wednesday, May 8 (8 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 3: Knicks vs. Pacers, Friday, May 10 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Game 4: Knicks vs. Pacers, Sunday, May 12 (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
• Game 5 (if necessary): Pacers vs. Knicks, Tuesday, May 14 (TBD)
• Game 6 (if necessary): Knicks vs. Pacers, Friday, May 17 (TBD)
• Game 7 (if necessary): Pacers vs. Knicks, Sunday, May 19 (TBD)

Western Conference

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder v. (5) Dallas Mavericks

• Game 1: Mavericks vs. Thunder, Tuesday, May 7 (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 2: Mavericks vs. Thunder, Thursday, May 9 (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Game 3: Thunder vs. Mavericks, Saturday, May 11 (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
• Game 4: Thunder vs. Mavericks, Monday, May 13 (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 5 (if necessary): Mavericks vs. Thunder, Wednesday, May 15 (TBD)
• Game 6 (if necessary): Thunder vs. Mavericks, Saturday, May 18 (8:30 p.m. ET)
• Game 7 (if necessary): Mavericks vs. Thunder, Monday, May 20 (8:30 p.m. ET)

(2) Denver Nuggets v. (3) Minnesota Timberwolves

• Game 2: Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, Monday, May 6 (10 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 3: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, Friday, May 10 (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Game 4: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, Sunday, May 12 (8 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 5 (if necessary): Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, Tuesday, May 14 (TBD)
• Game 6 (if necessary): Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, Thursday, May 16 (8:30 p.m. ET)
• Game 7 (if necessary): Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, Sunday, May 19 (TBD)

Key Dates for the 2024 NBA Playoffs

Aside from the all the above, the NBA postseason generally has a few key dates.

The first have already passed in the form of the play-in tournament, as well as the start of the first round. The Nuggets and Timberwolves kicked off the second round on Saturday, May 4. Below are several other key dates to look forward to.

• Conference Finals start dates: May 19-22, depending on the length of the second-round series.
• NBA Finals start date: Thursday, June 6 will be Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals. Sunday, June 9 will be Game 2. Game 3 will take place on Wednesday, June 12. Friday, June 14 will be Game 4.

First Round Results

Below are the full results for the first round of this year's postseason.

Eastern Conference

(1) Boston Celtics def. (8) Miami Heat in 5 games

(2) New York Knicks def. (7) Philadelphia 76ers in 6 games

(4) Cleveland Cavaliers def. (5) Orlando Magic in 7 games

(6) Indiana Pacers def. (3) Milwaukee Bucks in 6 games

Western Conference

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder def. (8) New Orleans Pelicans in 4 games

(2) Denver Nuggets def. (7) Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games

(3) Minnesota Timberwolves def. (6) Phoenix Suns in 4 games

(5) Dallas Mavericks def. (4) Los Angeles Clippers in 6 games

And that's everything you need to know about the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs. Enjoy watching!

US Sports News

Jamal Murray Not Suspended for Throwing Heat Pad Onto Court in Game 2

Related Posts

Jimm Sallivan