The Timberwolves did everything to get the Nuggets’ attention in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series, coming back from a massive deficit to even the series, 1-1, with things heading to Minnesota. As if that wasn’t enough, Wolves forward Jaden McDaniels gave Denver some serious bulletin board material after the big win, calling out the entire defense.
He was asked how the Wolves were able to find success in Game 2 and replied bluntly, “Go at Jokic, Jamal, all the bad defenders. Tim Hardaway, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, their whole team.” He was asked to clarify, and didn’t hesitate, “Yeah, they’re all bad defenders.”
You’d think after that kind of embarrassing performance at home, then getting called out by a player on the rival team, the Nuggets would have come ready to play on Thursday night, but that wasn’t the case at all. Aaron Gordon was ruled out shortly before the game, and it was all downhill from there.
Nugget's lack of heart was alarming
Denver came out completely flat, falling into a huge hole early on that they were never able to dig out of, trailing by 14 after one, 22 at the break, and as many as 27, before losing 113-96 in a game that frankly, was never that close.
The worst part? The Nuggets had no energy and body language as they watched McDaniels back up his words and punk them yet again. He came out hot with 9 points in the first quarter on 4-6 shooting, doing exactly what he said: going at the Nuggets’ “bad defenders”.
McDaniels finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists on 9-13 shooting for the night, and for much of the night, the Wolves were getting whatever they wanted inside the arc, attacking Denver, especially Jokic in the pick and roll, and parading to the basket, allowing a whopping 68 points in the paint while scoring just 34 of their own.
Jaden McDaniels is backing up ALLLLL of the talk tonight 😤😤😤pic.twitter.com/jWdAcqhpYG
— Fanatics Sportsbook (@FanaticsBook) April 24, 2026
The Nuggets’ offense was certainly concerning in this game, but what was really concerning was the lack of fight they showed, especially on the defensive end. When shots weren’t falling early, instead of pushing back and raising their level of intensity and physicality, they seemed to wilt.
Nuggets' season on the line Saturday night
Denver has a lot of problems to sort out, and not much time to do it. Unfortunately, they’re now dealing with another hamstring injury for Gordon as well. Sure, there are some excuses to make, but this is about controlling what they can. Denver had a chance to impose their will and show the Wolves what they’re made of.
But that wasn’t the case at all. The Nuggets didn’t stand up to the T-Wolves or McDaniels at all, helping prove his words correct in a performance that was straight-up embarrassing and concerning.
There’s time to figure this out. If Denver can rally and get right for Game 4, they’ll be heading back home with the upper hand again, just like that. But now, a loss on Saturday night suddenly puts you on the brink of elimination, staring down a massive disappointment, and a long summer of big and scary decisions.
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