In Game 4, Donte DiVincenzo suffered a torn Achilles injury, and Anthony Edwards suffered a bone bruise in his knee.
While these heartbreaking injuries certainly make things a lot harder, all hope is not lost. The Minnesota Timberwolves proved in Game 4 that they have enough to hang with the Denver Nuggets despite the injuries.
Game 4 was a quieter one for Jaden McDaniels, mostly due to Ayo Dosunmu's explosion, but he found a way to be impactful on both sides of the ball.
He finished with 12 points on 4-for-11 shooting, eight rebounds, and three assists, while playing elite defense on Denver's guards as he's done all series. In the playoffs so far, he's averaging 15.5 points per game on 49.1 percent shooting. This is extremely impressive considering that he has only made one out of 11 3-pointers. He's been extremely efficient inside the arc, and now, he'll have a lot more usage.
An aggressive Jaden McDaniels can power a Timberwolves win
After Game 4, the Nuggets will likely be trying to stop Ayo Dosunmu with everything they have, and they still have Julius Randle to deal with. The Nuggets don't have someone who can easily match up with McDaniels, as his smooth blend of agility, length, and height creates a lot of mismatches. He's already been cooking in the paint and in the mid-range this series, and if he can find his three-ball in Game 5, the series could very well be over.
The Nuggets will likely stick Cam Johnson on McDaniels, which is good for the Wolves, as Johnson isn't exactly known for his defense (you're welcome to get Jaden's thoughts on that topic too).
I fully expect McDaniels to get 15-for-20 shots tonight. And if he can be efficient along with other guys like Dosunmu, Randle, and Naz Reid, I fully believe the Wolves will still have enough firepower to win.
McDaniels is often a perfect barometer for the Timberwolves' success
It's been the case for the last few years. When Jaden McDaniels plays well and is looking for his shot, the Wolves usually reap the benefits. Whereas when he plays extremely passive and sits in the corner, the Wolves aren't so lucky.
Monday's game, he probably doesn't have a choice but to be aggressive, which is good for the Wolves. But defensively as well, he's going to have a tough task defending Jamal Murray, who will be fighting for his season.
If McDaniels can live up to the expectations and power the Wolves to an utterly insane series win in five games against Denver, it's going to be hard to bet against this team going forward, healthy or not.
Add us as a preferred source on Google