Timberwolves take a 2-1 lead on the
Nuggets with a dominant defensive effort in a 113-96 win
[April 24, 2026]
By DAVE CAMPBELL
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jaden McDaniels and the Minnesota Timberwolves
flexed even more of their defensive muscle against the flagging
Denver Nuggets, seizing a 2-1 lead in the first-round NBA playoff
series with a dominant 113-96 victory on Thursday night.
McDaniels had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Ayo Dosunmu added 25 points
and nine assists off the bench, and Donte DiVincenzo had 15 points
and four steals as the surging Timberwolves built a 27-point lead in
the third quarter and finished with a 68-34 advantage in points in
the paint.
Rudy Gobert followed his inspired Game 2 effort against Nikola Jokic
by stifling the three-time MVP again on an ugly 7-for-26 shooting
night, and the Timberwolves established a postseason franchise
record by allowing the Nuggets just 11 points in the tone-setting
first quarter.
“The shooting really put us behind the 8-ball to start the game,”
Nuggets coach David Adelman said. “We only gave up 25 points in the
first quarter. That’s actually a very good number. We just had a
hard time making shots tonight. Our physicality offensively has got
to get better."
Jokic finished with a too-little-too-late 27 points and 15 rebounds
for the Nuggets, who were missing Aaron Gordon to a calf injury and
all the energy he provides from his starting power forward spot.
“He’s the greatest offensive player I’ve guarded in my whole
career,” Gobert, the four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year who
had 10 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks, said of Jokic. “Just
trying to enjoy the challenge.”
Jamal Murray had 16 points on just 5-for-17 shooting as the league's
best 3-point shooting team during the regular season struggled again
from deep. The Nuggets have hit 30% of their 3s in the series, going
33 for 109.
But the Timberwolves did even more damage with the ball.
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Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) celebrates after
making a 3-point shot during the first half in Game 3 of a
first-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Denver
Nuggets, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie
Parr)
“They’re kind of pushing the pace, playing faster,”
Jokic said. “Don’t let us set our defense, and then just driving the
ball and trying to be aggressive.”
McDaniels, who flatly answered a question about Minnesota's
offensive strategy after Game 2 by labeling all of Denver's players
“bad defenders,” proved to be more prescient than reckless with his
assessment. Rather than irking the Nuggets, he had himself and his
teammates fired up as the series shifted to their home court.
The Wolves turned loose their primary wing players — McDaniels,
DiVincenzo and Dosunmu — to repeatedly attack the basket as they
raced around the Nuggets at every turn in the first half on the way
to a 61-39 lead.
“We're being decisive," Dosunmu said. "That's what it's all about.”
McDaniels delighted the crowd with a 3-pointer from the top of the
key and a one-handed slam in traffic over Jokic and Spencer Jones
down the stretch in one of his finest performances in the postseason
for Minnesota. Several fans clutched signs honoring McDaniels and
his blunt "bad defenders" quote, a cheeky tribute that made even the
stone-faced sixth-year player smile afterward.
“I thought it was a very emotionally sound game for him," Gobert
said. "That’s huge for him to just stay locked in, stay present, not
getting frustrated.”
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