Jaden McDaniels put an exclamation point on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Game 3 dominance over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday with an emphatic dunk. The athletic forward received a pass on the left shoulder before driving past Tim Hardaway Jr. and then soaring over Spencer Jones and Nikola Jokic for the rim-rattling slam.
Fans reacted to the highlight reel play. One fan wrote:
“The McDaniels call out was maybe a genius. Make them doubt themselves. Deep down, they know they’re bad defenders.”
Another fan added:
“He didn’t just finish the play… He announced himself.”
One more fan continued:
“That was an insulting dunk.”
Another fan commented:
“He told them.”
One fan tweeted:
“WITH AUTHORITY. That man is in full lockdown mode.”
On Monday, the Timberwolves rallied from a 19-point deficit before stunning the Nuggets 119-114 in Mile High City to tie the series at one game apiece. McDaniels told reporters that his team rallied for the win after attacking Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon and Tim Hardaway Jr. on defense. Minnesota’s defensive ace called the entire Nuggets team “bad defenders.”
The Nuggets didn’t add fuel to the fire ahead of Game 3. Johnson told the media to “just let them get everything off their chest” and added that “I’m not entertaining those antics.”
Denver wanted to downplay Jaden McDaniels’ comments about the Nuggets, but the Timberwolves doubled down on their starting forward’s analysis. Minnesota relentlessly attacked the rim in Game 3, leading to a 68-34 advantage in points scored in the paint. The hosts made only 9 of 34 shots from deep (26%), but their inside dominance more than made up for their lackluster outside shooting.
In Games 1 and 2, the Nuggets owned a 109.3 defensive rating, the sixth-best rating in the playoffs. Following the Game 3 beatdown, that rating is going to drop, proving McDaniels right.
Jaden McDaniels, Timberwolves Forced Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray Into Inefficient Outings
While Jaden McDaniels and his teammates ripped Denver’s defense, the Timberwolves flexed their superiority on that end.
Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic scored 27 points, but the Serbian needed 26 attempts and 11-for-11 shooting from the free-throw line to get his tally. Rudy Gobert arguably had his best defensive stance against Jokic in career playoff meetings.
All-Star guard Jamal Murray also had a hard time scoring against the Timberwolves’ bruising defense and crisp rotations. Murray scored 16 points on 5-for-17 shooting.
Over the last five quarters of the series, Jaden McDaniels and the Timberwolves have dominated the Nuggets.
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