Jaden McDaniels kept a steady tone after the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 125-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 of the Western Conference first round series on Monday night.
McDaniels addressed early foul trouble and the hostile road environment directly, saying, “It didn’t affect me at all. I’ve been in foul trouble before early in games. It’s just being out there being competitive.”
The forward emphasized his response to crowd pressure. “I hear the crowd. None of it affects me. It just brings the energy and juice out of me,” he said.
Denver’s home crowd played a clear role in the game’s tone, but McDaniels leaned into it. “It’s cool. I like it. I’m probably shaking my head the whole time,” he said when asked about being a villain. “They booing me, I’m laughing. They can’t get in my head.”
The Nuggets, led by Nikola Jokic’s 27-point triple-double, pulled away late after Minnesota struggled with turnovers and transition defense. Spencer Jones added 20 points in a key fourth-quarter stretch.
McDaniels, who finished with 13 points, pointed to mistakes as the main factor. “Really just silly turnovers. Some myself just throwing the ball to the other team. Just playing too fast,” he said.
Minnesota committed 25 turnovers, a number McDaniels tied directly to the result. “I think if we cut down ten of those turnovers, we come out with a win,” he said.
The Timberwolves were also missing key spacing pieces, but McDaniels focused on structure rather than personnel. “I think we just being a little stagnant. Got away from what we did the first three games to win,” he said.
Denver’s defense showed more aggression at the point of attack, but McDaniels did not credit scheme changes as the primary issue. “Nah, I ain’t feel nothing. It was really just our turnovers that held us back this game.”
He also addressed physical play and early foul situations. “Things happen throughout the game. It’s a physical game. Both teams playing physical,” McDaniels said. “It don’t have nothing to do with nothing dirty or nothing like that.”
Despite the loss, McDaniels kept the focus on Game 6 in Minneapolis. “We just got to get the job done next game and then there’s no more talking.”
The Timberwolves still lead the series 3-2, with Game 6 set for Thursday, where Minnesota will attempt to close out the series after a turnover-heavy setback in Denver.
