DENVER (AP) — Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray was fined $100,000 by the NBA however prevented a suspension for “throwing a number of objects within the path of a sport official throughout dwell play,” the league introduced Tuesday.

Murray tossed a towel and a warmth pack onto the court docket late within the second quarter of Denver’s 106-80 loss to Minnesota that gave the Timberwolves a 2-0 lead within the Western Convention semifinal collection that shifts to Minneapolis this weekend.

The Nuggets had been annoyed by the officiating as they fell behind by 28 factors shortly earlier than halftime.

The warmth pack toss garnered probably the most consideration as TNT replays confirmed Murray sitting on the finish of Denver’s bench and throwing it onto the court docket. It slid throughout the ground as gamers jockeyed within the lane simply earlier than Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Cities made a layup with 4:41 left within the second quarter.

Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope retrieved the warmth pack and tossed it apart because the public-address announcer admonished the gang to not throw any objects onto the court docket.

Officiating crew chief Marc Davis informed a pool reporter after the sport that the officers had been unaware the article had come from the bench. In any other case, “we may have reviewed it underneath the hostile act set off. The penalty would have been a technical foul.”

“We tried to impress upon (the officers) that there’s most likely not many followers within the constructing which have a warmth pack. So, it most likely needed to come from the bench,” Wolves coach Chris Finch mentioned after the sport.

Finch additionally mentioned Murray’s actions had been “inexcusable and harmful.”

Murray left the sector with out talking to reporters and Nuggets coach Michael Malone demurred when requested about it after the sport, saying he wasn’t conscious that his level guard had been the perpetrator.

The Nuggets had been off Tuesday. Their subsequent availability is after Wednesday’s apply.

A number of seconds earlier than he threw the warmth pack onto the court docket, Murray was noticed tossing a towel in Davis’ path. The towel landed at Davis’ heels and any person sitting on the sideline acquired up and shortly eliminated the towel. Davis by no means observed.

Murray, bothered by a strained left calf and the Timberwolves’ tenacious protection, shot 3-for-18 in Sport 2, ending with eight factors. That poor efficiency got here on the heels of his scoreless first half in Sport 1, which was the primary time he’s executed that in both half of 59 profession playoff video games.