Nuggets star now at risk of being suspended for game 3 vs Timberwolves

An absolute nightmare of a night for the Nuggets just keeps getting worse and worse. Not only did the team get embarrassed and booed on their home court, getting trounced by the Timberwolves 106-80, but the frustration boiled over in a way that may now impact game three as well.

The team is already facing an uphill battle, being down 0-2 in their Western Conference Semifinal series which now shifts to Minnesota for games three and four. And now they are facing the possibility of playing without one of their best players, Jamal Murray.

Murray had a brutal game two, finishing with just 8 points and 2 assists in 35 minutes. He also shot just 3/18 from the floor and turned the ball over four times. As bad as the stats were, the eye test was even worse. Murray was being hounded up and down the court and it got into his head.

He let the officiating get to him and began complaining and being theatrical nonstop to the detriment of his game and the team's focus. You could tell he was extremely bothered and his head was not in the right place. The Wolves' defense caused it, the officials contributed to it, and everything else spilled over from there.

His emotions reached a boiling point in the second quarter while sitting on the bench, Murray threw a heating pad toward the baseline official and the pad landed on the court during play. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had to pick up the pad and throw it off the court, but it could have easily caused a distraction or injury.

Luckily for Murray and the Nuggets, the officials had their backs turned to the bench and nobody quite seemed to see or notice what happened in the moment. But it was an incredibly foolish and immature thing for Jamal to do. It’s inexcusable for a veteran player of his stature - or really anyone.

Jamal Murray facing possible suspension for game 3

Well now, to make matters worse, the league is reviewing the incident for possible discipline and Brian Windhorst of ESPN claimed he wouldn’t be surprised if Murray is suspended for game 3. This would be an absolute disaster scenario for Denver. They will need all hands on deck and a much better Murray performance, and now they may not even have him available.

It seems like a Murphy’s Law type of situation for the Nuggets and this would be the cherry on top. Worst of all, the Nuggets and Murray have nobody to blame but themselves.