DENVER (AP) — Denver's All-Star duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray shot 2 for 12 in the fourth quarter of their Game 2 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, yet the shot that could have stung them most was the one delivered by Jaden McDaniels afterward.
“They're all bad defenders,” McDaniels said after the Wolves' 119-114 win Monday night that evened the series heading into Thursday night's Game 3 in Minneapolis.
After a day off, the Nuggets didn't
seem too bothered by McDaniels' jabs.
“I'm not buying into those antics, period,” said Denver forward Cam Johnson.
After blowing a 19-point lead in Game 2, the Nuggets had plenty of fixes to work on before heading to Minnesota, but their defense wasn't near the top of the list.
“Yeah, loose balls, getting them off the boards,” Johnson said. “They had more second-chance points than us.”
By a whopping 20-3 margin.
Nuggets coach David Adelman said the difference wasn't so much defense as it was Denver getting outrebounded.
“We win that game if we rebound the ball,” Adelman said after practice Wednesday. “So, 20-3 second-chance in a playoff game is insane, not to mention multiple tipped balls or loose balls at midcourt that led to points for them, free throws for them.
"That was discussed, that was watched. We clean that up and do the same things that we've been doing, I think we'll be in a good spot.”
Asked for his reaction to McDaniels' jabs about Denver's defense, Adelman said, “I can't wait for his podcast," then noted that the Nuggets' defensive rating in the playoffs is actually pretty good. “He's a really good player. Everybody is a sounding board nowadays. It'll help his social media.”
Nuggets guard Christian Braun called McDaniels' jabs “just part of the rivalry," albeit a bad take, in his opinion.
“I think defensively we've been pretty good. There's some spots where we could have played better. We made some mistakes late game that we don't typically make," Braun said. “But we're not too worried about comments or what other people are saying.”
The Nuggets realize they're going to have to match Minnesota's physicality and edge if they're to regain homecourt advantage in the best-of-seven series. It's just that they're going to let their play on the court do the talking.
“They've been saying a lot all season, all series,” Johnson said. “Let them talk. Let them get everything they want off their chests. We're cool with it."
Johnson said he has been in plenty of playoff games where there's “a lot of chirping back and forth,” all in good fun.
“It brings the best out of you, it brings the competitor out of you,” Johnson said. "I just want to go out there and compete for a Round 1 win and compete for a championship. And so that's what we're going to do. It's two games in. The winner's got to win three more. So, there's a lot of basketball to be played.
“It's not about words right now. It's about play.”
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