Denver Nuggets player Jamal Murray placed a heating pad on the court, sparking reactions of "unacceptable" and "risky."
During the final moments of the second quarter, Murray tossed a heat pack onto the court as the Timberwolves were taking possession. Multiple players were in the area of the discarded heat pack.
Following the game, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch expressed his disapproval of Murray's actions, calling them "unacceptable" and "risky."
Finch confessed he hadn't witnessed the event himself but had been briefed on the matter prior to addressing the media.
"We explained to the referees that it's unlikely anybody in the arena has a heat pack, so it had to have come from the bench - which made sense to them," Finch elaborated.
Although Finch was confident it was a mistake on the referees' part, he insisted such behavior should not be tolerated.
In a post-game report, the crew chief, Marc Davis, stated that the officials would have called a technical foul on Murray had they spotted the incident.
"We couldn't have recognized it was from the bench under our angle, otherwise we could have reviewed it as a hostile act. Murray would have been given a technical foul," Davis clarified.
Much like Finch, Denver's coach, Michael Malone, was not aware of Murray's actions.
"I'm not even aware that happened. I can't comment," Malone told reporters after the game. "If that's the case, we'll see what happens. But I wasn't aware of that. I knew there was a heating pack on the floor, but I couldn't see it from my vantage point."
Sources suggest Murray refused interviews post-game.
CNN has attempted to contact the Nuggets for comment.
The Nuggets now trail 2-0 in the second-round playoff series against the Timberwolves, making their chances of retaining their title slim - only five teams in history have managed to claw their way back from losing the first two games at home, ESPN Stats & Information stated.
"It was a frustrating night and our frustration spilled over," Malone shared. "I felt like we lost control of our emotions a bit tonight."
Although the team as a whole has faltered during the two games, Murray has been noticeably underwhelming.
In the most recent match, the Canadian guard converted only three shots out of 18 attempts, two of which were from three-point range, concluding the contest with just eight points.
The next game will be played on Friday at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
