Jamal Murray tosses heat pack, Michael Malone screams at officials as Nuggets frustrated in Game 2

DENVER (AP) — Jamal Murray lost his cool on the bench and tossed a heat pack onto the court.

It was the Denver Nuggets' frustration boiling over.

Irritated by no-calls and irate over missed calls, the Nuggets melted down in a 106-80 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals Monday night. The Wolves turned up the pressure and the defending NBA champions lost their temper, trailing by 32 points in a game that got out of hand before halftime.

Denver trails the Timberwolves 2-0 as their second-round playoff series shifts to Minnesota. The Nuggets are searching for the rhythm that allowed them to go 16-4 in the postseason during last year's title run. They've struggled against a hungry Minnesota squad playing relentless defense.

“A loss like this is tough,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “You feel embarrassed. You feel exposed. So what are you going to do about it? ... Have the courage to look yourself in the mirror and say, ‘I did not do my job tonight,’ and be better next game.”

Sitting on the bench in the second quarter, Murray tossed a heat pack toward the court after a layup by Karl-Anthony Towns. There wasn't a call on Murray, but a warning from the public address announcer to the crowd not to throw objects onto the floor.

In a pool report, official Marc Davis said the crew wasn't aware the object came from the bench. Had they known, “we could have reviewed it under the hostile act trigger. The penalty would have been a technical foul," he said.

Murray could be looking at a fine. He was not available to speak with reporters after the game.

The play didn't sit well with Timberwolves coach Chris Finch.

"We tried to impress upon them that there’s probably not many fans in the building that have a heat pack,” said Finch, whose team has won six straight playoff games, including a sweep of Phoenix in the first round. "So, it probably had to come from the bench, which they found logical. But yeah, it’s inexcusable and dangerous and, you know, I’m sure it was just a mistake and an oversight. I’m sure there was nothing intentional about the officiating at all. But certainly can’t allow it to happen.”

Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves forced Denver into 34.9% shooting and countless turnovers. Murray was 3 of 18 from the floor.

The Nuggets have a few days to regroup, with Game 3 scheduled for Friday.

“The body language of our guys is not where I think it needs to be,” Malone said. “We just got beat up in our building. We got embarrassed in front of our fans.”

Denver's opening half was filled with missed shots and aggravation. Malone was so upset at a no-call after Towns bulldozed through Murray for a layup that he ran onto the court and began yelling at Davis. That sort of demonstration in the regular season would've drawn Malone at least one technical and possibly an ejection. But there was no whistle.

“Although Coach Malone was visibly upset about both his team and the officials, I did not hear him say anything unsportsmanlike that warranted a technical foul,” Davis said in the pool report.

Malone said he was just defending his player.

“I owe it to Jamal Murray, or anybody else in that situation, to voice my opinion, to voice my concern and my disagreement,” Malone explained. “That team over there in Minnesota, I have to give them credit. They’re very good team. They came in here and won two games. Tonight, they ran us off the floor.”

Minnesota came at the Nuggets in waves and didn't give them a moment of peace. The Timberwolves were missing center Rudy Gobert, who was back in Minneapolis, where his partner gave birth early Monday.

“They played really good defense,” said Nikola Jokic, who had 16 points and 16 rebounds. “They know what they're doing and it's hard to score.”

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Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, right, drives to the basket as Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray defends during the second half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series Monday, May 6, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, front left, loses control of the ball as Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson, front right, and center Karl-Anthony Towns defend in the second half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Monday, May 6, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, front, looks to drive past Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the second half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Monday, May 6, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, left, drives to the basket as Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid, rright, defends in the first half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series Monday, May 6, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets guard Reggie Jackson, center, drives to the basket between Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson, left, and guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, right, in the first half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series Monday, May 6, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, right, steals the ball from Denver Nuggets forward Justin Holiday, left, who was driving to the basket past Timberwolves center Naz Reid, second from left, in the first half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series Monday, May 6, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, second from left, drives past Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, left, in the first half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series Monday, May 6, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone directs his team in the first half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

BANSKA BYSTRICA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovakia’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, remained in serious condition on Sunday but has been given a positive prognosis four days after he was shot multiple times in an assassination attempt that has sent shockwaves across the deeply polarized European Union nation, the defense minister said.

“The worst of what we feared has passed, at least for the moment. But his condition remains serious," Robert Kalinak told reporters outside the hospital where Fico is being treated. “His condition is stable with a positive prognosis.”

Kalinak added that the hospital treating the Slovak leader in Banská Bystrica, a former coal mining town of 16,000 situated 29 kilometers (17 miles) from where Fico was attacked, will continue to issue updates on his health status.

On Sunday afternoon, Kalinak revealed new details about the ongoing investigation saying there may have been a “third party” involved in “acting for the benefit of the perpetrator”, in what was previously described by the authorities as a “lone wolf” attack. The official did not provide additional details.

“The situation is turning out to be even worse than we expected,” Kalinak said. ”Plus other indications that these facts of Wednesday’s attack have been discussed in a wider circle. All of this is shocking information, and for many of us, it would be much easier if we could talk about just one person.”

Milan Urbáni, deputy director of the hospital, told reporters that "Based on the doctors’ morning consultation, we can conclude that the patient is currently out of a life-threatening condition. His condition remains very serious, and he needs a long time to rest to recover. We firmly believe that everything will go in a good direction.”

Fico, 59, was shot in the abdomen as he greeted supporters on Wednesday outside a cultural center in the town of Handlova, nearly 140 kilometers (85 miles) northeast of the capital, Bratislava. Video showed the Slovak premier approach people gathered at barricades and reach out to shake hands as a man stepped forward, extended his arm and fired five rounds before being tackled and arrested.

On Friday, Fico underwent two hours of surgery to remove dead tissue from his gunshot wounds, but he was not healthy enough to be transferred to the capital, officials said Saturday.

The country’s Specialized Criminal Court in the town of Pezinok on Saturday ordered the suspected assailant, who is charged with attempted murder, to remain behind bars. Prosecutors said they feared he could flee or commit other crimes if freed, a court spokesperson said. The suspect can appeal the order.

Little information about the would-be assassin has been disclosed after prosecutors told police not to publicly identify him or release details about the case. Unconfirmed media reports have named him and said he was a 71-year-old retiree known as an amateur poet who may have once worked as a mall security guard. Government authorities have given details that matched that description. They said the suspect didn’t belong to any political groups, though the attack itself was politically motivated.

Slovakia’s interior minister, Matus Sutaj Estok, said Sunday that the attack on Fico is an “attack on democracy in any normal country”. “At a time when democracy is being attacked, it must be the security forces that have to give a clear signal that they are prepared to protect the population of the Slovak Republic,” he said.

Fico said last month on Facebook that he believed rising tensions in the country could lead to the killing of politicians, and he blamed the media for fueling tensions in the country of 5.4 million.

Slovakia’s three-party coalition government has also partly accused the media of fueling the vitriolic discourse that has beleaguered the EU country in recent years and led to deep social divisions.

Andrej Danko, chairman of the government’s smallest coalition partner, the Slovak National Party, said Sunday he is expecting a government meeting early next week to discuss media laws and journalistic ethics, including how journalists report on domestic politics.

In his address on Sunday, Kalinak also stressed that lessons must be learned from the violent attack on Fico, who has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond. “This must be a memento. If we don’t learn, we’re heading for hell,” he said. “We need to bring this situation back to what we can consider standard.”

Fico’s government has made efforts to overhaul public broadcasting — a move critics said would give the government full control of public television and radio. That, along with his plans to amend the penal code to eliminate a special anti-graft prosecutor, have led opponents to worry that Fico will lead Slovakia down a more autocratic path.

Before Fico returned to power last year, many of his political and business associates were the focus of police investigations, and dozens have been charged. His plan to overhaul the penal system would eliminate the office of the special prosecutor that deals with organized crime, corruption and extremism.

At the St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Banská Bystrica on Sunday, churchgoer and lawyer Pavel Bachleda called the assassination attempt “a great tragedy” but also expressed concerns about how Fico and his Smer, or Direction, party has conducted itself in recent years.

“I would say partly also his actions, his actions in the previous months and years, have brought about the situation in our country,” he told The Associated Press. “You get the impression that they concentrate more on revenge, political revenge than on real things that our country needs.”

Stanislav Hodina in Prague, Czech Republic, and Stephen McGrath in Side, Turkey, contributed to this report.

Churchgoers attend a mass at St Francis Xavier Cathedral, in Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia, Sunday, May 19, 2024. Slovakia's populist prime minister, Robert Fico, remained in serious condition on Sunday but has been given a positive prognosis four days after he was shot multiple times in an assassination attempt that has sent shockwaves across the deeply polarized European Union nation, the defense minister Rober Kalinak said. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Churchgoers attend a mass at St Francis Xavier Cathedral, in Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia, Sunday, May 19, 2024. Slovakia's populist prime minister, Robert Fico, remained in serious condition on Sunday but has been given a positive prognosis four days after he was shot multiple times in an assassination attempt that has sent shockwaves across the deeply polarized European Union nation, the defense minister Rober Kalinak said. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Churchgoers attend a mass at St Francis Xavier Cathedral, in Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia, Sunday, May 19, 2024. Slovakia's populist prime minister, Robert Fico, remained in serious condition on Sunday but has been given a positive prognosis four days after he was shot multiple times in an assassination attempt that has sent shockwaves across the deeply polarized European Union nation, the defense minister Rober Kalinak said. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Churchgoers attend a mass at St Francis Xavier Cathedral, in Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia, Sunday, May 19, 2024. Slovakia's populist prime minister, Robert Fico, remained in serious condition on Sunday but has been given a positive prognosis four days after he was shot multiple times in an assassination attempt that has sent shockwaves across the deeply polarized European Union nation, the defense minister Rober Kalinak said. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Churchgoers attend a mass at St Francis Xavier Cathedral, in Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia, Sunday, May 19, 2024. Slovakia's populist prime minister, Robert Fico, remained in serious condition on Sunday but has been given a positive prognosis four days after he was shot multiple times in an assassination attempt that has sent shockwaves across the deeply polarized European Union nation, the defense minister Rober Kalinak said. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

People get well wish notes outside the F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital, where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot and injured, is being treated, in Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia, Saturday, May 18, 2024. The man accused of attempting to assassinate Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico made his first court appearance Saturday as the nation's leader remained in serious condition recovering from surgery after surviving multiple gunshots, Slovak state media said. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

People gather outside the F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital, where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot and injured, is being treated, in Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia, Saturday, May 18, 2024. The man accused of attempting to assassinate Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico made his first court appearance Saturday as the nation's leader remained in serious condition recovering from surgery after surviving multiple gunshots, Slovak state media said. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

A car supposedly carrying the suspect, in shooting of Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, leaves the court in Pezinok, Saturday, May 18, 2024. Officials in Slovakia say Prime Minister Robert Fico has undergone another operation two days after his assassination attempt and remains in serious condition. (AP Photo/Tomas Benedikovic)

Flowers are placed outside the F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital, where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot and injured, is being treated, in Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia, Saturday, May 18, 2024. The man accused of attempting to assassinate Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico made his first court appearance Saturday as the nation's leader remained in serious condition recovering from surgery after surviving multiple gunshots, Slovak state media said. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)