The Minnesota Timberwolves came home with a point to prove and a number to enforce. Eleven. That is what they held the Denver Nuggets to in the first quarter of Game 3, and from that opening stretch the night only got worse for Nikola Jokic's team as the Wolves rolled to a 113-96 win and a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference first-round series.
The headline act was Jaden McDaniels. Two nights after telling reporters that Denver's defenders were, collectively, 'all bad,' the fifth-year wing delivered the kind of performance that made the trash talk feel like a promise kept rather than locker-room bulletin-board bait. He attacked the glass, created extra possessions, and chased ball-handlers full-court — all while taking the assignment on Jamal Murray when Chris Finch needed a stop.
Finch didn't hide how much the defense meant.
"Locked in, you know, into the ball, everybody kind of went in the battle that was right in front of them," Finch said. "Challenging everything, just making everything hard all the way around, and came out and set the tone, which is what we wanted to do here at home."
Asked specifically about McDaniels, the head coach didn't hedge. "That was spectacular," Finch said. "His activity offensively in the first quarter was outstanding. Just trying to go get tips, loose balls, offensive rebounds, 50-50 plays, broken plays, all that kind of stuff. Defensively, he was outstanding tonight. It was inspirational. No doubt."
McDaniels, who had spent two days answering for his Game 2 comments, was clipped in his own assessment of the challenge Finch laid down in front of him. "Just come out, win the game, play team ball," he said. "Whoever's night it is, just keep giving the high hand, and tonight was IO, and we just kept hooping."
That 'IO' is Ayo Dosunmu, the veteran guard who finally punctured the Nuggets' defense after a flat first two games. Finch had been waiting for it. "I've been waiting for him to wake up a little bit this series," Finch said. Dosunmu himself described a simpler equation. "I'm just blessed. I'm blessed to be here. From the beginning of this summer training, I said I wanted to play in the playoffs. I can't take this moment for granted."
Anthony Edwards again set the tone at the point of attack, but the Wolves' margin came from the margins — 31 team assists on a night when the jumper did not always fall, plus Rudy Gobert's interior anchoring and an energy shift led by Dosunmu. Asked what allowed Minnesota to generate that volume of passing, Finch pointed to Denver's discipline.
"They're going to make you work. They're not going to let you come down and just shoot it on the initial side," he said. "They do a really good job of trying to crowd our main guys. Those guys have to keep staying in the flow and keep finding things. We can't always predict where it's going to come from, but if we keep trusting it, we'll be fine."
The Nuggets, still adjusting to life without the injured Aaron Gordon, now face a must-win Game 4 on Saturday. Dosunmu, speaking for a team that watched a 2-0 series slip out of Denver's grasp, waved off any suggestion the Wolves might relax.
"It's not changing nothing," he said. "Just keep playing the way we play. Ferocious defense, rebounding, playing team ball, and we'll be all right."
