Jamal Murray upset many with his actions against the Boston Celtics when, with the Denver Nuggets up by eight points, he attempted a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Murray did so in attempt to finish with a 50-point game.
Instead, he had to settle for a career high of 48. The attempt particularly angered Kyrie Irving, who took the rebound and chucked the ball into the stands so Murray would not have a memento from his big night.
Irving’s action was related to an unwritten rule in the NBA that when the shot clock is off, and the winning team has the ball with the result all but decided, you don’t shoot the ball. Of course, this is not the first time Murray has upset a team with his late-game antics.
Last season, in a matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers, Murray chose to dribble around Lonzo Ball instead of simply running down the clock in a respectful manner.
Murray recalled this incident when asked about his demeanor following his act against the Celtics. He stood by the fact that he didn’t mean to disrespect anybody in either organization, rather allowed emotions take over in situations where they should’ve been controlled, via ESPN’s Tim Bontemps:
“Everybody knew I was trying to go for 50 at that point. That was the problem. I didn’t mean no disrespect. My emotions just took over like it did with the Lakers last year. I just lose myself sometimes.”
Murray definitely saved himself with what seems like a heartfelt apology. However, it’s likely that Celtics and Lakers fans will agree that he has some immaturity to him.
The Nuggets will likely continue to stand by Murray, as he is a key piece in what has been a record breaking start to their season. As it stands, they are currently 9-1 and in second place in the Western Conference.
Their sole loss, ironically, came at the hands of the Lakers in an exciting 121-114 game at Staples Center. Hopefully, Murray will throw away some of these antics and get back to playing great basketball, which he is definitely doing early in this season.
