Nuggets Notes: Murray, Jokic, MVP, Gordon

Not everyone agreed with the NBA’s decision to fine Jamal Murray – rather than suspend him – after he threw a towel and a heat pack in the direction of a referee from the bench during live play in Game 2. One league observer who felt Murray got off lightly is Denver Post columnist Troy Renck, who argued in the wake of the NBA’s ruling that the Nuggets guard deserved a one-game suspension.

Appearing on FanDuel’s Run it Back show on Wednesday (Twitter video link), Shams Charania of The Athletic said the NBA opted for a significant fine (the maximum $100K) instead of a suspension because Murray has no history of similar behavior and showed contrition during a conversation with league officials. Asked on Wednesday about the incident, the star guard said he takes “full responsibility,” but declined to say much more about it when reporters asked follow-up questions.

“I mean, it was two days ago. Not much for me to say about it right now,” Murray said, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Asked about any discussions he may have had with the NBA about the incident, Murray replied, “Do you have any basketball questions?”

Head coach Michael Malone had had a little more to say about the towel and heat pack tosses, which he suggested were out of character for Murray, as Durando relays.

“I’ve never seen that from Jamal. That was very uncharacteristic for me,” Malone said. “And I think it was probably a combination of … taking a charge and it’s not called, a combination of not making shots at the level we know he’s capable of making, a combination of us being down 30 points to a team that we’re trying to beat to get to the Western Conference Finals. When you put that all in that boiling pot, man, that’s a lot to handle. And he didn’t handle it in the way he knows he needs to handle it, and I’m sure he told you guys that. But Jamal will bounce back. I have no doubt about that.”

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

• After becoming one of nine players in NBA history to win three Most Valuable Player awards, where does Nikola Jokic rank among the league’s all-time greats? John Hollinger of The Athletic digs into that question, arguing that even if the Nuggets star were to call it a career this summer, he’d still have a strong case to be considered one of the top 20 players in NBA history.
• Asked during his MVP press conference if he’s considered how long he wants to play in the NBA, Jokic didn’t offer any specifics, but suggested he doesn’t want to overstay his welcome. “I think that the determination is going to be if I can perform at a high level or not,” Jokic said (Twitter video link via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype). “I think I’m not going to take a spot from some young guys or put the franchise down. As long as I can play on the highest level and help the team win, I think I’m gonna play until then.”
• Down 2-0 in the second round with the series headed to Minnesota, Jokic needs to submit an MVP-caliber performance in Game 3 to help save Denver’s season, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. As Michael Pina of The Ringer writes, Jokic’s averages through two games – 24.0 PPG, 12.0 RPG, and 8.5 APG – look great, but he has shot just 42.1% from the floor (20.0% on threes) while committing 11 turnovers, and hasn’t controlled the game like he often does.
• In an entertaining story for Yahoo Sports, Jake Fischer explores the strong bond that has developed in recent years between Jokic and Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, detailing how Gordon’s skill set and his chemistry with the star center helped turn Denver into a championship team.
• In case you missed it, the Nuggets have listed Murray (left calf strain), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (right abdominal contusion), and Reggie Jackson (left calf contusion) as questionable to play in Game 3 on Friday.