“ Do you have a basketball question? » Obviously, the frustration has not completely subsided among Jamal Murray. Facing journalistsahead of Game 3 in Minnesota on Friday, the Nuggets leader does not seem happy to have to explain his behavior during Game 2.
This one, in addition to missing his match in the game, stood out by throwing a towel and a heating bag on the floor. A gesture which earned him a record fine of $100,000.
Asked about the severity of the sanction, he retorted: “ Nah, that's how it is. I take full responsibility for it, so let's move on. We move on. That was two days ago, I don't have much to say about it right now. »
A positioning which contrasts with that of his coach, Michael Malone, visibly annoyed by the management of his players' emotions. “ Guys, we are the reigning world champions. Act like it and play like it », Demands the Nuggets coach, back to the wall after their second defeat in a row against the Wolves.
Mike Malone says he didn't ” never seen » such behavior on the part of his leader. “ It wasn't at all his habit “, formulates the coach, attributing his loss of composure to a whistle against him, to his clumsiness and to the fact of being “ led by 30 points by a team we're trying to beat to get to the Western Conference final “.
Mike Malone waits to see Friday
“ When you throw all that into the pot, it's hard to manage. And he hasn't handled it the way he knows he should, and I'm sure he's told you that », continues Mike Malone.
The latter, in terms of the game, says he showed his troops nine sequences of the second round “ which somehow summed up this match and the reasons for our defeat. And our players understood it. I don't have an answer for anyone who asks me if these guys believe it. I do not know. They all say they believe it, but we'll find out collectively Friday night. »
This collective response will require a better attitude, not getting carried away by events or refereeing. “ Be ready to play and not get frustrated with the way the game is going sometimes », formulates Jamal Murray who, for the moment, is missing his series (12.5 points and 3.0 assists on average, at 28% shooting including 25% at 3-points).
“ So we have to stay calm, find a way to stick together during the match and find a solution. No matter what the scoreboard says, we have to be able to pull ourselves together », continues the leader.
To add insult to injury, the experienced Nuggets have faced a very calm Wolves since the start of the playoffs, where the latter did not always shine in their attitudes last year. Things have changed a lot since then.
| Jamal Murray | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2016-17 | DEN | 82 | 22 | 40.4 | 33.4 | 88.3 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 2.1 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 9.9 |
| 2017-18 | DEN | 81 | 32 | 45.1 | 37.8 | 90.5 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 16.7 |
| 2018-19 | DEN | 75 | 33 | 43.7 | 36.7 | 84.8 | 0.9 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 18.2 |
| 2019-20 | DEN | 59 | 32 | 45.6 | 34.6 | 88.1 | 0.8 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 18.5 |
| 2020-21 | DEN | 48 | 36 | 47.7 | 40.8 | 86.9 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 21.2 |
| 2022-23 | DEN | 65 | 33 | 45.4 | 39.8 | 83.3 | 0.7 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 6.2 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 20.0 |
| 2023-24 | DEN | 59 | 32 | 48.1 | 42.5 | 85.3 | 0.7 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 6.5 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 21.2 |
| Total | 469 | 31 | 45.2 | 38.0 | 86.7 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 17.5 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
