Minnesota Timberwolves: Jaden McDaniels gets 100% Honest About Controversial Moment with SGA

Jaden McDaniels and the Minnesota Timberwolves find themselves in another tough spot in the Western Conference Finals.

While Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks did them in their first time in this stage of the contest, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder are making their life difficult by winning the first two games of the series.

One might say that the pressure is probably getting into a team that made a big change to their roster to address their deficiencies in the roster. Anthony Edwards seemed focused on the task at hand, going by his attitude to the press after the game.

If there’s one thing Timberwolves fans can be sure of, the team refuses to go down without a fight. In Jaden McDaniels’ case, he used his heated moment during their Game 2 defeat to send a message.

Jaden McDaniels explains his aggression towards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Game 2 loss

Minnesota Timberwolves: Jaden McDaniels gets 100% Honest About Controversial Moment with SGA 2 Feb 24, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA;Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) shoots as Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) defends the play during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Timberwolves had a much better performance in Game 2 compared to their shambolic outing in the season opener. However, Ant-Man and company still lost by 15 games against an Oklahoma City squad that was firing on all cylinders.

The biggest problem for the Timberwolves throughout Game 2 was their inability to contain the three-headed monster of Shai GIlgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen WIlliams. The trio scored at least 20 points throughout the game, causing the game to be beyond reach for a struggling Timberwolves team.

However, Jaden McDaniels tried to make his impact felt in the game. He did his best to hound the 2025 MVP winner with his defense. However, he might have taken it too far after pushing SGA to the floor during the fourth quarter.

While he did an unnecessary flagrant 1 for his troubles, he doesn’t seem to regret his decision. He explained that everything was a basketball play.

“I just wanted to foul him for real,” he explained, as reported by Fadeaway World’s Siddhant Gupta. “I wasn’t even mad. I just had fouls to use.”

McDaniels had a terrific Game 2, finishing the night with 22 points, two boards, and three blocks. Hopefully, Julius Randle and the rest of the Minnesota squad can pick up the slack as the series heads to Target Center.