Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray may just be in the midst of his third NBA season, but he’s already earning himself a reputation as one of the league’s great antagonists.
Los Angeles Lakers fans hate him, Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving has called him out on “BS” and now it looks like Murray’s got another one of the NBA’s so-called villains rattled.
On Friday night, Murray’s Nuggets played host to the Oklahoma City Thunder and with play stopped for a jump ball and the Nuggets up by nine with 35.7 seconds left Thunder star Russell Westbrook and Murray looked to be jawing at each other while standing next to each other.
The Canadian guard must’ve said the wrong thing because almost with no warning Westbrook gave Murray a big shove and the two had to be separated.
Of some of the words that were exchanged, Westbrook looked to tell Murray, “I will [expletive] you up.”
After the dust settled, both players were handed out technical fouls, but it would appear Murray got the last laugh as not only did his team win and he ended up with better numbers than Westbrook Friday — 19 points on 8-for-15 shooting to Westbrook’s 13 points on 5-of-15 shooting — but Murray put the game on ice by winning jump ball and forcing Westbrook to give up a clear-path foul to him.
A Nuggets win, a bunch points scored and an opposing star’s feathers’ ruffled. Just another night at the office for Murray.
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