Winners and Losers From Nuggets' Crushing Game 3 Loss to Timberwolves

The Denver Nuggets reached a new low on Thursday night. The Nuggets have now lost two consecutive games to the Minnesota Timberwolves, falling behind 2-1 in their first-round playoff series. A loss is one thing, but their crushing defeat in Game 3 was on another level.

The Nuggets had arguably their worst offensive outing of the season, scoring just 96 points on 34% shooting from the field. Here is a look at the winners and losers from the Nuggets' Game 3 loss:

Winner: Jaden McDaniels

Mar 18, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) dribbles the ball against the Utah Jazz in the first half at Target Center. | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The most obvious winner from Thursday's game was Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels. After Game 2, McDaniels did not shy away from trash talk, telling the media how every Nuggets player is a bad defender. In Game 3, he backed up his talk.

While many fans expected the Nuggets to come out with some extra passion after what McDaniels said, he was the only one who seemed fired up. He finished with 20 points and ten rebounds on 9-13 shooting, including a monster poster dunk to seal the game with four minutes left.

JADEN. MCDANIELS.

WITH AUTHORITY 😤 pic.twitter.com/7fnkvzgHOe
— NBA (@NBA) April 24, 2026

Not only did McDaniels have an impressive offensive showing, but he also shut down Jamal Murray. The Nuggets' All-Star finished with 16 points on 5-17 shooting from the field and 0-5 from deep. McDaniels has done an incredible job defending Murray, and he might legitimately be their MVP of this series alongside Rudy Gobert.

Granted, the Nuggets' defense was actually improved on Thursday night, but they had such a poor offensive showing that it did not matter. Still, this was the exact performance from McDaniels that every Nuggets fan was hoping wouldn't happen.

Loser: Nikola Jokic

Apr 23, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) works around Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) in the first quarter at Target Center. | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Is it time to have a conversation about Nikola Jokic? Since returning from his month-long injury absence in the middle of the season, the three-time MVP has not been the same player. Regardless of the numbers he has continued to put up, his game has looked different. In Thursday's Game 3 loss, he was completely neutralized.

Jokic finished with 27 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, and four turnovers, shooting 7-26 from the field and 2-10 from three-point range. His 26.9% field goal clip was the lowest of his playoff career, with a second-lowest mark of 27.6% against the Timberwolves in 2023. Despite having some big games against Minnesota throughout his career, Jokic has struggled against this team in the postseason.

Most missed shots in a playoff game by a center since 2000:

21 — Nikola Jokic vs Timberwolves (2023)
19 — Nikola Jokic vs Timberwolves (Tonight) pic.twitter.com/6GUGniR4SV
— Real App (@realapp) April 24, 2026

Much of the credit for Thursday's poor performance can go to Gobert, who has done an incredible job defending Jokic. The superstar center finished Game 3 with a team-worst plus/minus of -21. That means the Nuggets were +4 with Jokic off the court. Not the stat you want to see for your three-time MVP.

This is just the second time in his career that Jokic has had a three-game span in the playoffs with 40% or worse shooting from the field. The other time came in their second-round loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder last season.

Winner: Zeke Nnaji

Nov 29, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Zeke Nnaji (22) against the Phoenix Suns at the Mortgage Matchup Center. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

All hope was immediately lost when starting forward Aaron Gordon was ruled out just hours before tip-off for Game 3. As expected, Spencer Jones filled in for Gordon in the starting lineup, but they needed someone to step up off the bench on Thursday night. Enter Zeke Nnaji.

Nnaji has had an up-and-down career since the Nuggets drafted him 22nd overall in 2020, and on Thursday, he logged 10+ minutes in a playoff game for just the second time through six seasons. Unexpectedly, he had an impressive showing.

Nnaji checked into the second quarter and immediately helped the Nuggets when their offense could not seem to buy a bucket, dropping six points on perfect 2-2 shooting from the field and 1-1 from deep, while grabbing two rebounds in just five minutes of action.

Nnaji finished the night with ten points, three rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 16 minutes, putting together the best playoff performance of his career. Of course, the Nuggets do not want to rely on Nnaji for extended opportunities in the postseason, but he showed he is capable of at least giving the team a few productive minutes off the bench.

Loser: Christian Braun

Mar 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Granted, practically the entire Nuggets' starting lineup can be seen as losers after Thursday's game, but we will focus on Christian Braun. Next season, Braun's five-year, $125 million contract extension kicks in. Right now, though, the Nuggets are likely regretting that extension big time.

In Game 3, Braun finished with two points and two rebounds on 0-4 shooting in 24 minutes. Yes, it was a poor offensive game from the entire Nuggets roster, but Braun is becoming more of a liability than anything. After a breakout 2024-25 season, Braun had high expectations. However, he is not as reliable a defender as many thought, and his offensive game has become concerning.

Braun will still have his optimistic moments, but we need to see much more consistency out of him for that giant $125 million deal to be worth it. Even then, it is aging very poorly.

Loser: Nuggets future

Mar 25, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Peyton Watson (8) reacts after a play in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Ball Arena. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Of course, any drastic playoff loss will jumpstart overblown conversations on social media, and this Game 3 defeat was no different. After this loss, fans were already discussing the future of this franchise, and while it might be too soon to get too dramatic, we have to begin thinking about what might happen if the Nuggets lose this series.

If they are unable to claw their way back and win this series, the Nuggets will have some very tough conversations this offseason. Whether it be the futures of Braun, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, David Adelman, Peyton Watson, or anyone else, we do not want to find out what this summer has in store if the Nuggets get knocked out in round one.

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