The Minnesota Timberwolves went up 2-0 in the Conference Semifinals against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 win on Monday. The Timberwolves led by double digits for most of the game and Anthony Edwards was asked if he was surprised that the Nuggets didn’t throw the first punch and also if he felt they were losing confidence.
“Nah, not at all. It worked in our favor tonight, man, that’s all that was,” Edwards said. “We made shots, they didn’t. That’s the defending champs over there. They’re not gonna come out and play like that again in Game 3. We gotta be ready to take their punch.
“And I always tell the team when we huddle up, and (Chris Finch) say, ‘We gotta be ready to take they punch’, I say, ‘We gonna punch too’. S***, they not the only one punching in the fight,” Edwards continued. “So I mean, yeah, just like that. They not the only one that is gonna coming out punching.
“I don’t give a damn if we go up 3-0,” Edwards stated. “For Game 4 we gonna come out punching, too. So they gotta be ready to take our punch and we will be ready to take their punch. I don’t see no slippage in their games. They just missed shots tonight. They’ll be ready to go (in) Game 3 and we will be.”
(starts at 8:38 mark):
That is certainly the mindset you want your team’s star player to have, as it then spreads to the rest of the team as well. Edwards knows the Nuggets are not going to throw in the towel and the message is clear, be prepared for the punches and fire back.
In Game 2, though, the Timberwolves were the only ones throwing punches. They led by as many as 32 points at one stage and completely outclassed the defending champions. Edwards did his part in that dismantling, as he recorded 27 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals on the night. Just like the Phoenix Suns in the first round, the Nuggets have not found a way to slow down the 22-year-old.
Anthony Edwards Praised Jaden McDaniels
Edwards also had some special praise for his teammate Jaden McDaniels during his press conference. When talking about the team’s approach in Game 2, the two-time All-Star felt McDaniels deserved to get a shoutout. (starts at 2:42 mark in the above video):
“But I do just want to just shoutout Jaden McDaniels before I get out of here,” Edwards said. “He’s been phenomenal this whole playoff run and this series in particular. I think he’s like a +51 or something and only probably had 5 points, took 3 shots in all two games, and don’t complain, keep guarding, keep picking up full court.
“And we wouldn’t be the team that we are today, we wouldn’t have been the team that we was in the regular season,” Edwards continued. “Hopefully we can keep him out there and he keeps playing like that because he’s definitely the x-factor of the team. Everything that he brings, we thank him so much. So big shoutout to Jaden, for sure.”
McDaniels has given the Nuggets plenty of headaches in this series with his tough defense. There was one possession in Game 2 that went viral, where McDaniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker were making life miserable for Jamal Murray.
Jaden McDaniels + Nickeil Alexander-Walker defense on Jamal Murray GOOD LORD pic.twitter.com/z11pnZAJJc
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) May 7, 2024
McDaniels has only averaged 2.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game against the Nuggets, but has still had a huge impact. He is actually a +40, which is tied for the highest in this series with Mike Conley.
McDaniels was out with a fractured hand when these teams met in the first round last year. The Nuggets won that series in five games and you do wonder how much trickier he might have made things had he been available.
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