The Denver Nuggets lost their Game 2 matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves and found themselves on the other end of some strong trash talk. If you ask Aaron Gordon about it, he’s not concerned.
Following the Game 2 119-114 Timberwolves victory, the veteran defensive standout Jaden McDaniels confidently sat at his locker and called out Denver’s defense.
McDaniels didn’t hold back–even calling out players like Gordon individually.
“Go at Jokic, Jamal, all the bad defenders. Tim Hardaway, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, their whole team,” McDaniels said in response to a question about the Timberwolves’ offensive game plan. “They’re all bad defenders.”
On the other side of the arena, Gordon was made aware of the comments. He brushed them off with a four-word statement:
“Brother, I don’t care.”
The Nuggets Need To Answer
That’s likely the veteran forward’s way of saying the Nuggets aren’t going to do too much talking in this first-round series.
While the loss was disappointing, the Nuggets have avoided defeat for nearly 15 games in a row. Now that they have that one out of the way, they know what they need to do in order to bounce back. Based on Minnesota’s comments, it’s going to start on the defensive end of the floor.
Anthony Edwards went 10-25 from the field to score 30 points. Julius Randle produced 24 points on 7-14 shooting. Donte DiVincenzo racked up 16 points, while McDaniels collected 14 points by going 7-15 from the field.
When Do The Nuggets Play Next?
The Nuggets and the Timberwolves are going to play in Minnesota for the first time this series on Thursday, April 23. The game tips off at 9:30 PM ET.
The series is already guaranteed a trip back to Denver, Colorado. In a perfect world for Gordon and the Nuggets, they’ll have a chance to end it in Game 5 when the series returns to where it started.
However, the Timberwolves are clearly putting up a strong fight and posing a big threat. Soon, the basketball world will see if McDaniels’ trash talk brings a new level of defensive intensity for Denver.