Nuggets Bluntly Respond to Jaden McDaniels' Daring Call Out Before Game 3

After Game 2, the rivalry between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves escalated. Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels name-dropped Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Cam Johnson, saying that they are "all bad defenders."

Of course, this got plenty of national attention, and a few Nuggets players and David Adelman responded to his claim ahead of Game 3.

Aaron Gordon stays care-free

Gordon was the first player to respond, as he was asked about McDaniels' comments directly after Game 2. In Gordon fashion, he remained care-free about the situation with a simple response.

"Brother, I don't care," Gordon said.

Aaron Gordon’s response after being told that Minnesota is talking a lot of smack:

“Brother, I don't care.” pic.twitter.com/Hq4CuwaXoW
— Tatiana (@Tatianaclinares) April 21, 2026

This was more directed toward the Timberwolves' trash talk as a whole, as it is clear they have not been shy when talking to the Nuggets, on and off the court. Gordon is certainly above the conversation of "bad defenders" as Denver's defensive anchor, so his involvement is silly anyway.

David Adelman fires back

Adelman took a different approach, directly firing back at McDaniels' claim about the Nuggets being bad defenders, and even took a more personal jab at the Timberwolves forward.

"I can't wait for his podcast," Adelman said. "... I think the narrative is really interesting. ... What's our defensive rating in this series through two games? 109. How is that? Sixth-best in the playoffs? Okay, next. ... He's a really good player. Everybody has a sounding board nowadays. It will help his social media."

Adelman brings up Denver's defensive rating, which is seventh-best in the playoffs at 109.3. The Timberwolves, on the other hand, have the 11th-best defensive rating in the playoffs so far at 112.2. Of course, with such a small sample size, this can be thrown out the window, but for Adelman's point, it stands.

Braun is focused on the Nuggets

While Christian Braun was not name-dropped by McDaniels like some of his teammates were, he had his own response to the criticism.

"I think that defensively we've been pretty good. There's some spots where we could have played better. Like I said, we made some mistakes late-game that we don't typically make. But we're not too worried about comments or what other people are saying. Like I said, I think we're just got to handle the Denver Nuggets, and when we do that, that's when we're at our best," Braun said.

Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun defends on Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels — Mar 1, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) defends on Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) in the first quarter at Ball Arena. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Braun has made it clear that he is not worried about what McDaniels had to say, but he also admits that he is not surprised by the comments, given the level this rivalry has grown to.

"I think that's part of the rivalry. I think it's part of the series," he continued. "We've played them so many times that it's just part of the rivalry. ... I don't think it caught anybody off guard. He's kind of speaking his truth and what he believes. We'll allow them to do that. We kind of want to take care of our own things and make sure we handle our business on our side."

Braun finished by saying they're "not too worried about the comments," making it crystal clear that they are solely focused on what they need to improve ahead of Game 3.

Johnson is used to Minnesota's antics

As for Cam Johnson, he is not surprised by McDaniels' comments, claiming that this is nothing new from that Timberwolves team.

"I'm not buying into those antics, period. Not entertaining it," Johnson said. "Sure [it can be bulletin board material], but I'm not entertaining those antics. ... They've just been saying a lot, all season, all series. Let them talk. Let them get everything off their chests. We're cool with it. I don't really care."

All in all, the Nuggets could not care about what McDaniels or the rest of the Timberwolves have to say. They know what they need to do to in order to take care of business and get out of this first-round series with four wins.

They are set to tip off for Game 3 at 7:30 p.m. MT on Thursday in Minnesota, and after McDaniels' comments, things could get testy.

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