Jaden McDaniels sticking by comments ahead of Game 3 with Nuggets

“It’s whatever… I said what I said,” McDaniels plainly stated, while also adding other short answers before Nuggets and Wolves Game 3

BY CHARLIE LUCERO

Apr 23, 2026, 2:45 PM

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Jaden McDaniels is sticking by his controversial statements from after Minnesota’s Game 2 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

The now infamous comments McDaniels made after regarding Denver and their “bad defense” have since turned into an intriguing storyline heading into Game 3.

“It’s whatever… I said what I said,” McDaniels plainly stated, while also adding other short answers on Thursday.

Here's Jaden McDaniels getting peppered with questions about his comments after Game 2, where he said all of Denver's players are bad defenders.

"Whoever is in our way to win the championship we gotta have that aggression towards them. They're standing in our way to go win the… pic.twitter.com/Px7Kv2QoCT

— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) April 23, 2026

McDaniels, who recorded 14 points on 7-15 from the field, has been a prominent figure so far in the series.

Now the spotlight shifts to Game 3, where the Nuggets have a chance to respond—not just on the scoreboard, but on the defensive end McDaniels called out. Whether Jaden McDaniels’ remarks hold up or come back to haunt him will depend on how well the Nuggets tighten up defensively — and whether Minnesota can keep finding the same openings.

On the Nuggets side they don’t seem too concerned by the comments made by McDaniels. David Adelman said the remarks aren’t something he’s using as bulletin-board motivation, but he did push back on the legitimacy of what Jaden McDaniels said.

“Narratives are interesting,” he said. “You hear so many things. We’ve gotten lazy in society. What’s our defensive rating in this series through two games?”

Denver’s defensive rating is 109.3 in the first 96 minutes of the playoffs.

“109,” Adelman said. “How is that?”

It ranks sixth-best of the 16 playoff teams.

“Sixth best in the playoffs?” Adelman said. “OK. Next.”

Emotions will be high Thursday night at the Target Center as these two battle-tested teams clash again.

Ultimately, the series won’t be decided by postgame quotes, but by execution—how the Nuggets respond defensively and whether Jaden McDaniels and the Minnesota Timberwolves can keep applying pressure.

Game 3 now becomes less about what was said, and more about who proves it.