Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels rubbed salt in the Denver Nuggets’ wounds after name-dropping Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and others while describing the team as “bad defenders.” McDaniels remarked after Minnesota overturned a 19-point first-half deficit to win Game 2 on Monday and level the series 1-1 before heading back to Minnesota.
It seemed the Nuggets would put an end to the rivalry, but that didn’t happen as the Timberwolves outexecuted them after a lackluster first quarter. While holding the Nuggets to 75 points on 38.2% shooting in the final three quarters, the Timberwolves scored 94 points on 53.0% shooting.
After a performance as dominant on both ends of the floor, McDaniels didn’t hold back on Denver’s personnel’s defensive woes while listing the Timberwolves’ keys to a successful night offensively, saying:
“Go at Jokic, Jamal, all the bad defenders. Tim Hardaway, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, their whole team.”
After a reporter asked if they’re all bad defenders, McDaniels didn’t flinch before reiterating his comment.
“Yeah, they’re all bad defenders,” he said.
Jaden McDaniels pointed to the Nuggets’ lack of paint defense, suggesting it made it easier for the Timberwolves to attack and create opportunities at the rim or kick it out for an outside scoring chance. Minnesota had 52 paint points and 20 second-chance points.
Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray manage just four points in the fourth quarter, with Jaden McDaniels playing a huge role
The Timberwolves shut down Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in the fourth quarter, allowing them to score only four points. They shot a combined 2 of 12 in that stretch. It was a massive swing factor down the stretch. Jaden McDaniels guarded Murray, while Rudy Gobert was on Jokic.
McDaniels’ ball pressure halted Denver’s offense. While it didn’t show up on the box score, McDaniels slowed down Denver at the point of attack, which made life easier for the Timberwolves’ defense as a whole.
According to the NBA’s matchup data, McDaniels limited Murray to eight points on 3 of 9 shots as his primary defender. Minnesota needed to keep Murray, a Clutch Player of the Year finalist, in check, especially after his Game 1 performance, in which he scored 30 points. Murray had 30 again, but only seven in the second half, which proved decisive.
