Murray: Irving “overreacted” after Nugget’s 48-point night

MEMPHIS, TENN.» Jamal Murray said Kyrie Irving “overreacted” in the aftermath of Murray’s career-high 48-point eruption Monday night.

Irving, who was fined $25,000 for heaving the ball well into the lower bowl at the Pepsi Center, said Murray was “thirsty” for trying to surpass 50 points at the end of Monday’s 115-107 Nuggets win. On Tuesday, Irving told reporters, “You just don’t play basketball like that.”

“That’s just makes me laugh,” Murray said here Wednesday of Irving’s comments. “I think everybody understood I was trying to go for 50. Everybody understood I was trying to break a record, make history. Not just here but Canadian history as well. I think it was more of an understandable shot. I think he’s a competitor, so obviously he’s going to take it a different way. I think he overreacted. But I’m not going to sit here and go into a little debate. I’m just going to play basketball, and we’re on to the next game.”

A day after Murray’s last-second shot, Irving was still fuming.

“From a competition and competitive standpoint, I think it absolutely deserved to go in the stands still,” Irving told reporters. “That’s just so thirsty of a player to just go after something like that. Clearly, 50 points is a big deal, but get it within regulation. Take it as a man, get your free throws and get to 50 points.”

Nuggets team staffers tried to retrieve the ball, but Irving wasn’t going to let Murray savor his memento. It wasn’t until after the ball wound up in the hands of a young fan wearing a Murray jersey that he realized it would’ve been a cool keepsake.

“I think somebody caught it and gave it to a little kid wearing my jersey, so I think that was a great moment,” Murray said from shootaround ahead of Wednesday’s game at Memphis. “That’s a lucky kid. He got a ball that’s worth 48 points.”

The fan wants Murray’s signature on the ball — something Murray said he’d be open to even if it means he doesn’t get to keep it.

“I’ll do that for sure. What goes around comes back around. That’ll be fun to interact with a fan. Get to see the ball again, sign it for him… I’m not really stressing (about the ball). I think I can repeat that day one game. If the kid’s willing to give it up, I’ll trade him some shoes or something for it. So that wouldn’t be too bad, either.” Jokic Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for using derogatory and offensive language during his postgame interview Oct. 31 after Denver beat Chicago at the United Center. Jokic, whose primary language is Serbian, was asked about Bulls rookie Wendell Carter Jr.’s development, which is when he used the slur.

“I respect his game,” Jokic said. “He’s crafty, hard worker, if that makes any sense. He’s playing really hard basketball. When we first played with them, he was just shooting the midrange shot. He took two 3s today . ... No (slur), he’s longer than you expected. He can jump, he’s right there. He’s really good defensive player. I think he can be a really, really good player.”

A story with the video clip was published on Barstoolsports.com on Nov. 1, but it wasn’t widely circulated, which is why the NBA fined him a week after the incident.

Jokic’s fine was announced by NBA executive vice president of operations Kiki VanDeWeghe, himself a former Nugget.

The Nuggets aren’t expected to release a statement, and Jokic had no comment.