Wed, Apr 22, 2026 page6

• McDaniels mocks Nuggets’ defenders

  ‘GO AFTER JAMAL’: The Nuggets’ Jamal Murray said the loss was ‘not all on one person’ and they did not make enough shots in the second game of the series

  • AP, DENVER, Colorado
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  Jaden McDaniels on Monday took perhaps his most notable shot after the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 119-114 playoff win against the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of their NBA Western Conference first-round playoff series.

  The Timberwolves forward pretty much labeled all the Nuggets’ players bad defenders. Thrown in there were All-Stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.

  “Go after Jokic, Jamal, all the bad defenders,” said McDaniels, who had 14 points and three assists. “Tim Hardaway [Jr], Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, the whole team, just go at them.”

  

  The Denver Nuggets’ Christian Braun, right, goes to the basket as Jaden McDaniels of the Minnesota Timberwolves defends during Game 2 of their first-round NBA Western Conference playoff series at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, on Monday.

  Photo: AP

  So they are all bad defenders?

  “Yeah, they’re all bad defenders,” McDaniels added.

  The Timberwolves overcame a 19-point deficit to even the series, which shifts to Minnesota for Game 3 tomorrow.

  

  From right, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Naz Reid defends as Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets goes to the basket next to the Timberwolves’ Jaden McDaniels during Game 2 of their first-round NBA Western Conference playoff series at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, on Monday.

  Photo: AFP

  Anthony Edwards led the way with 30 points, despite playing with a sore knee. He also had 10 rebounds.

  “They don’t got people that can defend the rim,” McDaniels said. “We’re still more athletic than them and just got to be able to finish when we do.”

  Jokic had 24 points and 15 rebounds — all on the defensive end — while Murray scored 30 points.

  

  The Toronto Raptors’ Jamal Shead, left, defends as Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks for options during Game 2 of their first-round NBA Eastern Conference playoff series at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, on Monday.

  Photo: David Dermer-Imagn Images

  However, Denver’s dynamic duo shot a combined two of 12 for four points in the fourth quarter. Murray had a chance to tie the game with a three-pointer in the closing seconds, but elected to pull up for a two-point shot instead and missed.

  “I was happy he took the two points,” Edwards said. “I thought he had a good look at a three when he first came off, but yeah, he took the two-pointer. I guess if he made it, we would have been in a free-throw situation, but yeah, I’m kind of happy he took the two-pointer.”

  Murray said he “didn’t make enough shots tonight.”

  

  The Atlanta Hawks’ C.J. McCollum, right, steals the ball from Jose Alvarado of the New York Knicks during Game 2 of their first-round NBA Eastern Conference playoff series at Madison Square Garden in New York on Monday.

  Photo: AP

  “That’s really about it,” he added. “We all could have played better. It’s not all on one person, that’s just the way the game goes sometimes. They played hard as well. It was a good game. I thought we had the game in our hands, but we just didn’t make enough shots, in my opinion.”

  In Cleveland, Ohio, the Cavaliers’ new “Big Three” performed well in their first major playoff test.

  Donovan Mitchell continued his post-season scoring prowess, while James Harden and Evan Mobley made big plays at both ends of the floor as the Cavs beat the Toronto Raptors 115-105 for a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series.

  “This was a superstar game. Those three led us,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “They hit the big shots. I think James had four steals in the second half, so excellent defensive. Evan really good defensively and Don just made some out-of-this-world, incredible shots. That’s why they’re stars.”

  Mitchell’s 30 points included four three-pointers, while he had seven rebounds, five assists and a steal in 37 minutes.

  Harden added 28 points, but his biggest impact might have been on defense with five steals.

  Mobley had a team-high eight rebounds and scored 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting.

  It was the fourth time in their history that the Cavaliers have had at least three players score 25 points in a playoff game.

  Mitchell said it was Harden’s constant attention on defense that made the difference.

  Cleveland forced Toronto into season-high 22 turnovers that led to 22 Cavaliers points.

  “I think the biggest thing with him is he’s obviously an-all world offensive talent, but the one thing that jumps out to you as soon as he gets here is the communication about defense,” Mitchell said. “I’m over here in huddles talking about: ‘We could do this offensively.’ He’s like: ‘Man, we just need three stops in a row.’ He’s the vocal one on that.”

  Game 3 of the series is to be played in Toronto tomorrow.

  In New York, C.J. McCollum scored six of his game-high 32 points in the final two-plus minutes for the visiting Atlanta Hawks, who stormed back from an eight-point deficit in the last five minutes to stun the Knicks 107-106 in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference series.

  Additional reporting by Reuters
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