The Bounce: Nuggets-Timberwolves rivalry keeps ramping up. We love it

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During last night’s Pistons-Magic broadcast, Richard Jefferson was talking about his Nets being up 3-2 in a series against Ben Wallace’s Detroit before losing the final two. Detroit went on to win the NBA Finals. I looked up that Nets-Pistons series and was reminded of Game 1. The Pistons won 78-56. (Yes, they played 48 minutes. Kerry Kittles led New Jersey with 15, and the Nets had 39 points after three quarters.) They also had a 127-120 triple overtime win over the Pistons in Game 5. What a weird era of basketball!

Sweet disrespect

McDaniels upped the ante, and we need more

Jaden McDaniels said the quiet part out loud. He might have shared the scouting report with the world. Or maybe it was just what he believes the scouting report should be for his Timberwolves teammates against the Nuggets. Stone-faced. Hoodie on. Matter of fact. That was McDaniels as he gave big-time bulletin board (or whatever’s in locker rooms in 2026) material after the Game 2 win in Denver.

McDaniels: “Go at Jokić, Jamal, all the bad defenders. Tim Hardaway, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, their whole team. Just go at them.”

Q: “They’re all bad defenders?”

McDaniels: “Yeah, they’re all bad defenders.”

Hold on a minute, Jaden! Gordon doesn’t fit that mold! He’s a really good defender. Maybe his body isn’t as sound as it needs to be with the hamstring injury bothering him for a year now. But he’s still one of the more respected defensive players in the NBA … I guess by players not named McDaniels? It was a stunning statement that got the internet buzzing over the first-round series that already had the most fire.

Tonight, we’re getting Game 3 of that series in Minnesota (10:30 p.m. ET, Prime Video). These two teams have a good history against each other in the last couple of years, and a lot of pressure will be on McDaniels and the Wolves to prove his statement correct. Go at all of these guys and prove they can’t guard you. That was certainly the case after the first quarter of Game 2 Monday, and down the stretch when the Wolves pulled out the victory to even the series at 1-1.

In that same session, McDaniels also expanded with something more grounded and not as salacious:

“They don’t got people that could defend the rim. If (Jokić) is there, we still more athletic than them, and just got to be able to finish when we do.

“Just sometimes you gotta know when to attack and when the right moments (are), and if it’s your time to shoot it or pass it. But either way, if you just break the paint, you’re gonna have a shot, or someone else is gonna be open.”

It holds true when you look at Denver’s regular-season stats. The Nuggets finished 21st in defensive rating, and it’s historically difficult to win a championship when your defense is that bad. They had plenty of reasons why it was so bad, though. Gordon missed 46 games. Peyton Watson missed 28 games and is still out with his own hamstring issue. Jokić became drastically worse at defense after his knee hyperextension in December.

When the Nuggets had their preferred starting lineup, their defensive rating improved by about three points per 100 possessions. These comments just add to how good this rivalry has been. But when Gordon was asked about them, he responded as he should:

“Brother, I don’t care,” he told reporters Monday night, visibly scoffing.

I meant that’s how he should respond professionally. But we don’t want that. I mean … I don’t. We want to see the brazenness of Anthony Edwards and McDaniels in how they authentically express what’s on their minds. It adds drama. And we know that the second the Nuggets string together some stops in Game 3, we’ll see these two sides chirping. Denver will meet the Wolves with that on the court. It would just be more fun to have it all on the microphones, too.

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The Last 24

🗣️ Wait, what? LeBron James and Draymond Green have proposed moving the Grizzlies to Nashville. Adam Silver endorsed playing some games there. 

🏀 Historic numbers. A record 216 WNBA games will be broadcast in the league’s 30th year of play.

👀 Good sign? Remember that whole cap-circumvention investigation into the Clippers? Aspiration’s co-founder helped the NBA with it. 

💰 Silver-approved. The commish was asked about the Blazers owner’s cost-cutting ways. “He knows what he’s doing.”

🔊“NBA Daily.” Watch/listen to a recap of last night’s games. How the Pistons got their groove back. 

Stream the NBA on Fubo (try it for free!) and catch out-of-market games on League Pass.

Top Reserve

Need more than scoring to win Sixth Man

For years, it felt like the top scorer coming off the bench would end up winning the Sixth Man of the Year award. Maybe this was the Lou Williams-and-Jamal Crawford effect? Those guys would come in and just light up defenses. Back in 2020, Montrezl Harrell won the award as one of three players averaging more than 18 points per game as a reserve. In 2021 and 2022, Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Herro won it by easily being the top scorers off the bench.

But the last four winners have not been massive scoring options. Spurs forward Keldon Johnson was named the Sixth Man of the Year on Wednesday, taking home 63 of the 100 first-place votes. Heat wing Jaime Jaquez Jr. finished second in the voting by grabbing 34 of the remaining 37. Somehow, Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Stewart took first-place votes.

A global media panel of 100 voters selected the winner of the 2025-26 Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.

Complete voting results ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/tVxTUuzueu

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 22, 2026

Johnson averaged 13.2 points per game, which is the lowest average of the six highest vote-getters for the award. But four of the other five were barely above him in scoring average, finishing with either 13.5 or 13.6 points per game. Jaquez led bench players with 15.4 points per game. Not a massive lead, but still over 2 points more per game.

Johnson joins Malcolm Brogdon (2023), Naz Reid (2024) and Payton Pritchard (2025) as recent winners who weren’t close to leading bench players in scoring. Johnson’s defense and rebounding have been big for the Spurs, allowing them to play a little smaller and more versatile at times. For you bench players out there, I guess you need to do a bit more than get shots up.

Last Night & Tonight

Detroit, from near disaster to dominance

First, what to know about last night:

Pistons 98, Magic 83: Series tied 1-1. Three key points for this game: Read the takeaways from The Athletic. Here are mine.

1. The third quarter settled it. An ugly, even battle at halftime turned into the Pistons starting on a 30-3 run to begin the third. Cade Cunningham had seven assists in the third. The Magic had five baskets in a 38-16 quarter.
2. Paint domination. Detroit outscored Orlando 54-34 in the paint. That was huge, especially in the third (16), as was limiting Orlando to 17-of-40 in the paint.
3. Good defense or sloppy play? Yes, these are defensive-minded teams, but 42 combined turnovers is gross. Cade’s seven were surprising.

Who played huge in this game? Cade. The turnovers were a lot, but he was as steady as the No. 1 seed needed him to be. He orchestrated that third quarter. I wondered if he might need to average 40 in this series, but Detroit gave him enough help that he could do it with passing, too.

Who came up short for the Magic? Desmond Bane. This team is so bad offensively that it can’t afford for him to be off. Twelve points on 2-of-11 shooting, and he had more turnovers (three) than made shots.

How concerned should the Magic be? It looked like the Pistons found their defensive groove, which is bad news for an Orlando team that can’t score consistently. They can’t just rely on free throws here. Unless someone can consistently break down the defense, home-court advantage might not do much. Playoff Panic Meter: 🚨🚨 for Orlando | 🚨🚨 for Detroit.

Thunder 120, Suns 107: Thunder lead series 2-0. Three key points for this game: Read the takeaways from The Athletic. Here are mine.

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is still unguardable. He had 37 on 13-of-25, and it all looked so easy. Nothing you can do.
2. The turnover battle is just too lopsided. The Suns lost it 22-10 and ended up allowing 22 points off them. OKC only allowed nine.
3. Jalen Williams’ hamstring injury. He missed a bunch of games with a right hamstring injury this season. He left in the third with a left hamstring injury.

Who played huge in this game? Chet Holmgren. As the Thunder dominated the third quarter, he was a monster, scoring 11 of his 19 points and delivering three of his four blocks.

Who came up short for the Suns? Devin Booker. He has to deal with a revolving door of great defenders, but he’s not getting enough shots or free throws. He had 22 on 7-of-14 shooting and six turnovers.

How concerned should the Suns be? Pretty concerned? They’re not resigned to getting swept, but the brooms will be traveling with the Thunder to Phoenix. Maybe they can build on that run in the fourth quarter? PPM: 🚨🚨🚨for Phoenix.

Since we’re here, let’s do a quick preview of Thursday’s Game 3s. All times Eastern.

Knicks at Hawks, Game 3, 7 p.m. (Prime Video) | Series tied 1-1

• Something to look for: How involved will the Knicks make Karl-Anthony Towns on offense? They just lost sight of him in the fourth, and he didn’t demand the ball. He needs to re-establish himself as unstoppable.

Cavs at Raptors, Game 3, 8 p.m. (Prime Video) | Cavs lead 2-0

• Something to look for: Can the Raptors score better at home? They really struggled offensively in the first two games.

Nuggets at Wolves, Game 3, 10:30 p.m. (Prime Video) | Series tied 1-1

• Something to look for: Just pop that🍿! This is going to be an epic, trash-talking series. Let’s hope they’re vocal and take it all personally.