The Los Angeles Lakers came apart late in Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets, but for the second time this season, much of the talk after the loss focused on Jamal Murray.
Lakers head coach Luke Walton called Murray disrespectful following some late-game trash-talking, which appeared to draw the ire of Isaiah Thomas as well. Some others, including Lonzo Ball and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope chose to sidestep the matter.
Following the game, Murray himself was dismissive of the Lakers’ complaints, saying he is not concerned over how the opposition reacts to losing, via Bill Oram of the OC Register:
Word of the Lakers’ frustration reached the Nuggets’ locker room, where Murray celebrated his team’s win and said he “plays with a little fire.”
“I can’t control what the other team’s going to feel,” he said. “I’m just going to go out there and hoop and whoever takes it to heart and takes their losses salty, I can’t do anything about that.”
Nuggets coach Mike Malone was slightly more concerned and said that he would review the film and speak with Murray if necessary:
“Jamal is a young player, who has to continue to mature, but I will watch the film and talk to him about that,” Malone said. “Jamal is able to play with emotion, but I never want it to border on the line of being disrespectful to your opponent. If I watch the film and see that, I definitely will talk to Jamal about that.”
There seems to be a burgeoning rivalry between the two sides and that could result in some very intense games in the future. Both teams are young and rising up the ranks so they are sure to cross paths frequently.
Making this even more exciting is that the two teams will meet again in just a few days at Staples Center. The Lakers will be looking to make sure Murray doesn’t have anything to joke about at the end of that contest.
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