The Minnesota Timberwolves were on fire in their second game against the Denver Nuggets. Everyone was so engrossed in watching the Wolves in action that some foul play from the Nuggets’ bench went unnoticed.
With under 5 minutes left in the second quarter, when Karl-Anthony Towns snatched a rebound to score for the Wolves, Denver’s Jamal Murray threw a heat pack on the court from the bench. Murray’s teammate Caldwell-Pope noticed the pack and picked it after Towns was successful in increasing the lead.
Although the incident didn’t catch the eyes of many at that time, there was a lot of discussion about it in the post-game press conference. Following a dominant 106-80 victory, Timberwolves HC Chris Finch told the reporters, “It’s inexcusable and dangerous. I’m sure it was just a mistake and an oversight. I’m sure there was nothing intentional by the officiating at all. But certainly can’t allow that to happen.”
Finch said that he had not noticed it during the play, nor did the game officials, and only afterward he learned about the incident. He added that since the referees did not see the act, a technical foul was not issued, and the officials had a similar explanation.
Refs Claim Jamal Murray Escaped Tech
After the game, when the referee, Chief Marc Davis, was asked about Murray’s episode, he said, “I was the lead official and I didn’t notice it was on the floor or where it came from until [Anthony] Towns scored.” He claimed that they were unaware of its emergence; otherwise, they would’ve reviewed it “under the hostile act trigger” and issued a tech foul.
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Despite not getting an advantage in this situation, the Timberwolves were the superior side, dominating the Nuggets from the first quarter on Monday. Jamal Murray continued his poor form in the series after recording only 8 points from a harrowing 16.7% shooting.
The fierce Minnesota franchise took a 2-0 lead in the semifinal series and will be looking to grab another win on Friday in front of their home crowd at the Target Center.
