The war of words is picking up between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets.

The battle on the court should be even better.

The Timberwolves and Nuggets will resume their high-stakes rivalry when the teams tip off in Game 3 of the Western Conference first-round playoff matchup Thursday night in Minneapolis. The best-of-seven series is even after Denver won the series opener and Minnesota bounced back to take Game 2.

Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels added some spice to the series with his comments after Game 2. He said the Nuggets could not stop Minnesota from scoring at will.

“They’re all bad defenders,” McDaniels said. “They don’t got people who can defend the rim. Even if (Nikola Jokic) is there, we’re more athletic than them.”

Nuggets coach David Adelman fired back Wednesday when asked about the remarks.

“I can’t wait for his podcast,” Adelman said in a sarcastic tone. “He’s a really good player. Everyone has a sounding board these days. It’ll help his social media.”

Nuggets guard Cam Johnson did not seem surprised by McDaniels’ comments. He said it was part of a pattern by the Timberwolves that went back many months.

“They’ve just been saying a lot,” Johnson said. “All season, all series. Let them talk. Let them get everything they want off their chest.”

The neck-and-neck series offered plenty of drama before the trash-talking went public.

Anthony Edwards will try to find his shooting rhythm in Game 3. He is shooting 38.6% from the field and 25% from 3-point range in the series, which is well off his regular-season averages.

Edwards is averaging a team-high 26 points per game in the playoffs despite his inconsistent shot. Julius Randle is next with 20 points per game in the series, and McDaniels rounds out the top three playoff scorers with 15 points per game.

For the Nuggets, Murray leads the way with 30 points per game in the series. He has dominated at the free-throw line but struggled from the field, shooting 38.3% overall and 27.3% from beyond the arc.

Jokic is averaging 24.5 points, 14 rebounds and 9.5 assists in the series. Christian Braun is third with 14 points per game, and he has knocked down 50% of his 3-point attempts.

Johnson said he and his Nuggets teammates had full confidence heading into Game 3 despite losing the previous contest.

“It’s the playoffs,” Johnson said. “Unless you really expected to win 16 in a row really easy, something’s going to happen. It’s the playoffs. You have to bounce back. You know what I’m saying? It’s like a non-negotiable. It’s part of the process.”

Timberwolves Donte DiVincenzo will look to stay hot after knocking down a key 3-pointer late in Game 2. He did not hesitate when asked to describe what he loves about playing in the playoffs.

“It’s fun,” DiVincenzo said. “You see the energy out there. Big moments. That’s what you grow up dreaming about.”

Minnesota went 26-15 on its home court during the regular season. Denver posted the identical 26-15 record on the road.

–Field Level Media

Building on his recent ATP poll ascent, Madrid native Rafael Jodar battled back from one set down to knock out Jesper De Jong of the Netherlands 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 on Wednesday in a 2-hour, 32-minute first-round clash at the Mutua Madrid Open.

The 19-year-old began the year ranked 168th, but has skyrocketed all the way to No. 42 as of Monday. Jodar returned to his hometown after claiming his first singles title April 5 at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakesh, Morocco, then narrowly losing in the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell semifinals last week.

On Wednesday, Jodar limped out the gates as De Jong broke each one of Jodar’s serves in the first set. From there Jodar hunkered down, saving three of the four break points he faced the rest of the match, and winning 14 of 19 first service points (74 percent) in the decisive final set.

Jodar, who grew up just 12 kilometers from the stadium, joined Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz as the only Spaniards to record a main-draw win in Madrid before turning 20. Jodar will face fifth-seeded Alex de Minaur of Australia in the round of 64.

“I try to handle the pressure as I have done since I was little,” Jodar said Monday before the tournament. “I’ve always been a very calm person both on and off the court. I know there’ll be moments when things don’t go as well as they have in recent tournaments. In those moments, you prove whether you’re mentally strong. Those moments will also make me stronger.”

A quartet of Italians lost in straight sets in the opening round — highlighted by former top 10 player Matteo Berrettini falling to Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic 6-3, 6-4. Prizmic will face fourth-seeded Ben Shelton in the next round.

Lorenzo Sonego, a former top 25 player, lost to qualifier Dusan Lajovic of Serbia 6-3, 7-6 (1), while Mattia Bellucci fell to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-4. Federico Cina lost to qualifier Elmer Moller from Denmark 6-4, 7-6 (4).

French qualifier Benjamin Bonzi took down fellow French qualifier Titouan Droguet by a 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 6-4 count. Bonzi wasn’t broken once, but Droguet staved off Bonzi’s first eight break points before Bonzi finally cashed in to take a 5-4 lead in the final set. Bonzi’s reward? He’ll take on World No. 1 Italian Jannik Sinner in the next round.

Sinner has won all three times the two have faced off and the Italian will be looking for his fifth straight Masters 1000 title, which he has accomplished while dropping just one set.

In other three-set matches, Croatia’s Marin Cilic defeated Belgian Zizou Bergs 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, and Tomas Machac of Czechia came back to beat Francisco Comesana of Argentina 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3.

In two-set territory, Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo took down France’s Valentin Royer 6-2, 6-4 to set up a Round of 64 meeting with 11th-seeded Jiri Lehecka of Czechia. Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante beat Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-4 to advance to face 15th-seeded Tommy Paul.

Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff bested France’s Alexandre Muller 7-6 (3), 6-0, Emilio Nava topped Jenson Brooksby 6-3, 7-5, Austria’s Sebastian Ofner beat Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili 7-6 (5), 7-6 (0), Vit Kopriva of Czechia took down China’s Zhizhen Zhang 6-2, 6-0, Peru’s Ignacio Buse got past France’s Adrian Mannarino 6-4, 6-2 and Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz beat qualifier Jaime Faria of Portugal 6-3, 6-3.

–Field Level Media

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor exited Wednesday night’s game against the visiting Minnesota Twins after the fourth inning due to left calf tightness

Lindor, who was on first base following a single, did not appear to be running at full speed as he circled the diamond and scored on Francisco Alvarez’s double.

The 32-year-old grimaced while rounding third and remained on the ground for a few seconds after sliding in ahead of Victor Caratini’s tag to give the Mets — who have lost 12 straight — a 2-1 lead.

Lindor was injured the same day Juan Soto returned from a 15-game absence due to a strained right calf. The Mets won their first three games after Soto was injured Apr. 3 before beginning their losing streak.

Lindor has missed just 15 games since his most recent IL stint in 2021, when he missed more than five weeks due to a right oblique strain.

–Field Level Media