Anthony Edwards’ old Jaden McDaniels-Kevin Durant hot take goes viral after Timberwolves Game 2 win

But it appears Edwards was right, at least for one night. McDaniels, whose points career high is 26, nearly matched that in Tuesday’s Timberwolves win. While Durant struggled (18 points, 6-15 FG, 0-2 3PT), McDaniels led all scorers with 25 points on 10-17 shooting from the field, including 2-4 on threes, and was a game-high +24 when he was on the floor.

Timberwolves dominating the Suns in playoff series

Many analysts believed the Phoenix Suns would serve as a poor matchup for the Minnesota Timberwolves, in large part due to the Suns sweeping the three-game regular-season series, winning each game by at least 10 points. The first two games of the Minnesota-Phoenix playoff series has been another stark reminder that the regular season results cannot always be applied to the postseason.

While the Timberwolves’ highly touted defense could hardly stop the Suns in the regular season — the Suns averaged 118 points per game against the Timberwolves — Minnesota has clamped down on Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, and the Suns two games into their playoff series. Phoenix failed to score more than 95 points in either Game 1 or 2, while the Wolves have scored at least 105 points in each game.

Durant, while at a lower output than possibly expected, has been efficient so far. He is averaging 24.5 points while shooting 53.1% from the field, 50.0% from three, and 81.3% from the free-throw line. Booker and Beal are the only two Suns players to average double-digit points through the first two games, but Booker, in particular, has experienced major troubles finding his rythym offensively.

Despite averaging 27 points per game in the regular season, Booker has been stifled so far by the Timberwolves’ defense. After scoring 18 points on 5-16 FG and 2-6 3PT in Game 1, Booker could only manage 20 points on 6-13 FG and 1-6 3PT. Additionally, Booker committed a game-high six turnovers and fouled out of the Suns’ Game 2 loss. For Phoenix to mount a comeback in the series, Booker will have to perform much, much better.

As for the Wolves, whose regular-season offensive struggles led to skepticism among some analysts, the team has enjoyed a diverse scoring diet so far in the series. While Edwards unsurprisingly leads the way with 24 points per game through the first two games, McDaniels, Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Mike Conley all are averaging double-digit points.

The series will now shift to Phoenix, where the Suns will host the Wolves on Friday, April 26, and again on Sunday, April 28, in hopes of extending the series and returning to Minnesota for Game 5 next week.