Mark Kiszla: Jamal Murray deserves $100,000 fine and suspension after losing control as Nuggets play fool in playoff loss to Minnesota | Mark Kiszla

Who is the Nuggets’ dad?

Ant-man.

Minnesota superstar Anthony Edwards is only 22 years old, but with a little help from his friends, he’s dismantling the reigning NBA champions like child’s play.

The big, bad Timberwolves huffed and puffed their way into Denver’s home Monday night, wiping the arena floor with what was left of the Nuggets’ pride in a 106-80 victory.

Although the loss was humiliating enough to prompt boos, the way the Nuggets embarrassed themselves through their unprofessional behavior was unforgivable.

Guard Jamal Murray was so frustrated that he threw a tantrum and threw a heat pack to referee Marc Davis from the Denver bench. Like almost everything else on a night when he shot three for 18 from the field, he missed his mark. Davis didn’t see the projectile thrown angrily from outside the court by Murray until the heat pack whizzed past Davis and bounced between the players under the basket.

Murray, who failed to explain his behavior after the game, fully deserved a technical foul. His irritable actions, which apparently included a monetary gesture toward the referees, are punishable by a $100,000 fine. And the league needs to seriously consider suspending Murray for Game 3 if the series moves to Minnesota.

“I thought we lost control of our emotions,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

After the referees allowed Karl-Anthony Towns, whose 27 points secured Edwards’ top honors of the game, to throw Murray to the ground early in the first half, Malone became enraged, ran to the ground when an offensive foul was disallowed, and yelled into Davis’ face from so close that the crew chief could see what the trainer was eating for lunch.

“It’s up to me to fight for my boys,” Malone said, admitting he was begging to be killed by Davis.

With the heavy crown, the Nuggets look tired, hurt and nervous, ready to sit on the porch, sip some lemonade and wonder how those glory days passed so quickly. They trudged toward the locker room in defeat, their heads bowed and their moods somber.

“Our guys’ body language isn’t where it should be,” Malone said.

How hard did the Timberwolves pressure Denver, which trailed by as many as 32 points in the third quarter?

Minnesota center Rudy Gobert, who is 6’3″ tall and one of the league’s defensive giants, did not play in the game due to paternity leave. And it didn’t matter. It wasn’t until the end of the fourth quarter that Denver was able to prevent the lowest score in a playoff game in franchise history.

“They ran us off the ground,” Malone said. “I just ask our fans to stay with us. I know tonight wasn’t a pretty sight. I know there were a few boos out there. And I understand that because we haven’t performed anywhere near the level that we would expect from this team.”

The loss was so painful it made you cringe. In a week in which Nikola Jokic is certain to be named the league’s most valuable player for the third time, Edwards went to the foul line midway through the fourth quarter, the Nuggets trailed by 25 points and the crowd headed for the exits.

“MVP! MVP! MVP!” shouted encouraged T-Wolves fans, serenading Ant Man with admiration in the Joker’s house.

Having already been pushed around twice in this best-of-seven playoff series, with the injured Murray a broken Blue Arrow and all the guys on Denver’s bench contributing less than zero, the Nuggets pick up and stand faced with an unpleasant question:

Did we see Jokic and the most popular basketball team in Colorado history play their final home game of the season?

“Hopefully,” Jokic said, “we’ll go (to Minnesota) and take the fight.”

Maybe the Nuggets aren’t ready to throw in the towel just yet.

But Murray threw a heat pack.

Clown move, bro.