On Jan. 14 in Dallas, Malone stood up for Murray when he told reporters that “the microscope on Jamal is a little intense” and that “everybody’s just gotta kind of let the kid breathe a little bit.” Denver’s point guard had started the season slow, but he had scored 45 points in a win that day.

As the Denver Nuggets fired head coach Michael Malone, there were some rumblings he treated star player Jamal Murray differently than everyone else. However, Bill Simmons feels that there is more to the story than that.

Denver Nuggets players grew tired of Michael Malone giving Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray “preferential treatment,” an NBA source told Hoops Wire. The Nuggets fired Malone and general manager Calvin Booth on Tuesday.