Jamal Murray was having one of his best games of the season while his Denver Nuggets battled the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. He hit seven of his first 11 shots for 16 points, along with three rebounds and two assists, while his Nuggets built a seven-point lead against the Mavericks, but was sent off for a somewhat unusual foul.
The move took place in the third quarter. Tim Hardaway Jr. had just made a great shot and was protecting Murray on the other side. Murray ran to Hardaway and fell to the floor. When he got up, he seemed to hit Hardaway in the groin and was quickly ejected. The referees defined the flagrant foul-2 as “unnecessary and excessive contact” in Hardaway’s groin.
Denver managed to hold on to the wing against Dallas, but the story of the game was Murray’s expulsion. Although players are occasionally hit in this area inadvertently, you rarely see a blatant-2 call evaluated for such a move. The closest moment that comes to mind is Draymond Green hitting LeBron James in the groin during Game 4 of the 2016 NBA Finals. This move was only called flagrant-1, however, and Green was suspended only because he had accumulated so many gross fouls. it was mandatory.
Murray is unlikely to be suspended for this move, but it will still be one of the most infamous moments of his young career. Groin shots are rare and that makes them memorable.