Trey Murphy III Breaks Silence On Mavericks Game Controversy As Leaked Texts Expose Dallas Stance

With around 1.5 seconds left on the clock the question popped up among the announcers, “Is there a possibility of a goaltend?” The players and staff from both the Mavericks and Pelicans, the crowd at the Smoothie King Center, and millions of viewers all waited anxiously for the officials’ decision. However, when the verdict came, it didn’t go in favor of the visiting team. However, it was clear in the replay that Spencer Dinwiddie had hit the ball on the glass first and then Trey Murphy III blocked the shot afterward. And Dallas was deprived of what many felt was a deserved moment of glory. Following the controversial play, the man guilty of the charge broke his silence.

After Wednesday’s game, when Murphy appeared on The Young Man and The Three podcast the elephant in the room was addressed. “I mean, it looks like we won the game, bro. You know, got a block to and I was trying to win the game for the team, and that’s about it,” the combo forward explained his stance. When praised for his effort until the final seconds, Murphy said, “I just play until the whistle’s blown. That’s it.” He paused a bit and then added, “Or not blown (in this case).”

But there was one thing for sure that he didn’t forget to mention, “I love our referees. Go go NBA referees.” Meanwhile, many Mavericks fans blamed the referees for not making the right call, arguing that it ultimately cost Dallas the game, and rightly so. Regarding his much-discussed move, Murphy said, “I promise you, I didn’t think it was goaltend until, well, it wasn’t goaltending because they didn’t call it goaltender. But I gotta look at the video after the game, and I said, I see where somebody could say that they thought that was goaltending. I said y’all might have a point.” To this, the hosts burst out into laughter.

And that’s not all. Murphy further blamed the previous play, which he referred to as a potential foul. Justifying his action, the 24-year-old stated, “But before that play even happened, Jordan Hawkins got the ball. He got assaulted and they call a foul.” The Mavs had stolen the ball and continued their play after gaining the turnover advantage. “I just think that’s how it happened. I wouldn’t even get a supposed goal tend if they call the foul.”

Dallas journalist Noah Weber reported that, aside from not calling Trey Murphy III for goaltending on Dinwiddie’s layup attempt, the league also missed another call on the Pelicans with 1:07 left in the game. Weber wrote on X that “(Dejounte) Murray extends his off-arm into (Daniel) Gafford’s head/face during the rebound.” The right calls would have surely made a difference in the game.

However, the results can’t be changed anymore. After the 119-116 loss, Mavs’ Naji Marshall was extremely upset with Murphy and texted him, revealing a conversation Murphy had on the show.

Trey Murphy III discloses Naji Marshall’s message following the controversial win

Sentiments often get involved in such close losses, and Marshall was no exception. He shared a video with Murphy, which he described as a funny commercial about a coach and player’s honesty. “So I noticed another commercial where the dude was like, I touched the ball coach. He sent it to me and said ‘If you’re a real one, you’ve been said it to the refs,'” Trey revealed Naji’s message.

“I’ll cry laughing. I’ll cry laughing. Man me and Naji were talking the whole game,” Murphy said. “Dumb stuff. Just dumb stuff.” Murphy sure laughed it off but the Mavericks were definitely boiling in anger. And why won’t they be? They just came off two straight losses against the Nuggets. They are without their main man Luka Doncic and now such goaltending is the last thing of their nightmare.

This was the second showdown between the Western teams this regular season, with each side securing a victory. With two more games remaining, Dallas will be determined not to let the same mistake slip through their fingers again. Perhaps then they can finally turn the tide in their favor.