Watch: Jamal Murray gets HEATED after no-call when shooting 3-pointer vs Lakers
The Lakers and the Denver Nuggets tipped off following Ring Night ceremonies at Ball Arena. And it did not take long for the playoff intensity of the 2 teams going at each other the past postseason to boil over. Jamal Murray, in particular, had a noteworthy faceoff with the officials.
The Lakers made the first bucket of the season via Anthony Davis, answered back almost immediately by Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets sprinted out to an early first-quarter lead with a flurry of made shots, forcing the Lakers to take a timeout at the 7-minute mark.
But before that happened, Jamal Murray had a kerfuffle of sorts with the officiating crew. The Canadian combo guard fired up one of his characteristic 3-point shots from the left wing. However, much to his dismay, the shot (which rebounded out of bounds), was adjudged to be the Lakers' ball.
It was obvious, watching replays, that he had been hit on his arm while attempting the shot. The trajectory of the shot had also been altered by Prince's arm. You can take a look at the incident here.
However, the referees made the correct decision to hand the Nuggets the out-of-bounds call after conferring with each other.
Even so, it made for the first real referee-player interaction of the season, for dramatic measure.
Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic dominate early vs Lakers
Despite not playing much basketball over the offseason (both Nuggets stars missed the FIBA World Cup citing injuries and their postseason workload), Murray and Jokic did not look like they'd missed a beat. Both of them made their characteristic tough shots in the first period itself.
The result was a 34-20 lead to take to the bench after the first quarter, capped off by this amazing Reggie Jackson shot.
Jokic finished the first quarter shooting 5-out-of-7 on his field goal attempts, compiling 10 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists to his name. Murray missed a couple of 3-pointers, but was able to still compile a nice 5/1/2 statline.
The Nuggets look likely to take home the dub in this game, as things currently stand.