WATCH: After going 1 of 10, Jamal Murray throws heat pack on the floor during T'Wolves-Nuggets in frustration over foul call
Jamal Murray has been having a hard time solving the Minnesota Timberwolves’ defense, shooting just 1-for-10 in the first half of Game 2. The Denver Nuggets trailed 61-35 at halftime.
Frustrated, Jamal Murray threw a heat pack at the floor during the game while the ball was in play, luckily without causing harm to any players. Officials didn't penalize him for the action.
Watch the incident here:
Here's another angle of Jamal Murray throwing a heat pack:
Murray ended the first half with two points, eight rebounds and two assists. Aaron Gordon led the Nuggets with 15 points, while Nikola Jokic had eight points, seven assists, six rebounds and four turnovers.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards had 20 and 16 points, respectively, to lead Minnesota's dominant first half.
The Minnesota Timberwolves boasted the best defense in the regular season, sporting a 108.4 defensive rating. Their defense has effectively stifled the Nuggets' offense, which ranked fifth-best in offensive rating during the regular season at 117.8.
The Timberwolves have been navigating Game 2 without center Rudy Gobert, who had six points, 13 rebounds and three blocks in Game 1 of the 2024 Western Conference Semifinals on Saturday. Gobert is out to witness the birth of his first child.
Can Jamal Murray return to form vs Timberwolves?
Jamal Murray had a stellar first round as the Denver Nuggets eliminated the LA Lakers in five games. He averaged 23.6 points, 7.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds in the series and drilled two game-winning shots.
In Game 1 against the Timberwolves, Murray scored 17 points on 14 shots and was a minus-22. He failed to score in the first half, marking the first time in his career, according to The Athletic, that Murray had been held scoreless in a half.
Following the game, Murray hinted that he's still managing a calf injury but emphasized that it was not an excuse for the team's loss.
“I think everyone has injuries around this time of the year,” Murray said. “Everyone is playing through something. My calf is no different than anybody else on the team."
"Obviously, it sucks, but it’s not something I enjoy talking about. It’s not the reason we lost the game.”
Meanwhile, Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Denver needs to be more organized against Minnesota.
“We were not organized. We didn’t space the floor. We didn’t get into what we needed to. You can maybe get away with that kind of stuff in the regular season," he said.
"But against a team as good as Minnesota, you simply can’t afford wasted possessions.”