Washington alum McDaniels helps lead Timberwolves to Western Conference Finals

Former Washington basketball star Jaden McDaniels led the Timberwolves with 23 points in their Game 7 win, which advanced them to the conference finals. Anthony Edwards called him the series MVP.

The Minnesota Timberwolves clinched their spot in the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 20 years after defeating the defending champion Denver Nuggets 98-90 in Game 7 on Sunday.

Minnesota survived a poor shooting night from star Anthony Edwards, who was 6-24 from the field and 2-10 from three, as Karl-Anthony Towns and former Washington Huskies standout Jaden McDaniels stepped up to carry the Timberwolves to the win.

McDaniels and Towns each had 23 points to lead Minnesota. Edwards finished with 16. Six Timberwolves scored in double figures, with Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid, and Mike Conley chipping in.

McDaniels has primarily been a defender for Minnesota since being selected with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2020 draft. But he stepped up with the Timberwolves’ backs against the wall, scoring over 20 points in both Game 6 and Game 7 against the reigning champion Nuggets.

After adding 2 blocks and 1 steal in Game 6, and 1 block and 2 steals in Game 7, McDaniels became the second youngest player to record 20 or more points and 3 or more combined steals and blocks in consecutive elimination games.

The youngest? Some guy named Michael Jordan.

McDaniels was also credited as the X-factor for the Timberwolves in a postgame interview with Edwards on TNT and again in Edwards’ postgame press conference with the media.

“Jaden McDaniels was the MVP of the last two series,” Edwards said.

With the win, McDaniels also became the only former Husky to advance to the conference finals this season.

The Timberwolves will face off with the Dallas Mavericks, who defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 on Saturday, in the Western Conference Finals. Game 1 tips off Wednesday evening at 5:30 PST on TNT.