“They’re all bad defenders.”

Jaden McDaniels called out Denver’s stars after Game 2, and the Wolves proved him right by bulldozing the Nuggets 113-96 in Game 3 Thursday night in Minneapolis

Minnesota has taken control of the series with a 2-1 lead, and Game 4 is in Minneapolis on Saturday night. With another win, the Wolves would lead the series 3-1 and put the Nuggets in a must-win situation entering Game 5 on Monday in Denver.

The Wolves attacked the paint and made Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Cam Johnson, Tim Hardaway Jr., and anyone else McDaniels trash-talked after Game 2, from start to finish. Minnesota held Denver to a season low 11 points in the first quarter, built a 61-39 lead at the half, and led by as many as 27 points in the second half.

The damage was done despite Anthony Edwards battling foul trouble, scoring only 17 points in 24 minutes. Julius Randle also struggled to score, finishing with 15 points on 6-for-15 shooting. Naz Reid had just five points in 17 minutes off the bench.

So who killed Denver? The others.

Ayo Dosunmu was a beast with 25 points off the bench, most of his damage coming in transition or simply blowing by Denver’s defense for layups in the half-court.

McDaniels was a monster, capping his big night with a three-pointer and then a monster jam in traffic late in the fourth quarter to put an exclamation point on the blowout. He finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, knocking down 9 of 13 shots, all while playing relentless defense. Prime Video analyst and NBA Hall of Fame inductee Dwyane Wade said McDaniels’ defense was so tight that it was like he was wearing Murray’s jersey.

The Wolves scored 68 points in the paint, compared to 34 for the Nuggets.

Rudy Gobert and Donte DiVincenzo were also great. Gobert finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks. DiVincenzo had 15 points, seven assists, and four steals.

Jokic couldn’t buy a bucket, largely because Gobert, the four-time Defensive Player of the Year, dominated him. The three-time MVP finished with 27 points and 15 rebounds, but he shot just 7 of 26 from the field.

Murray also struggled, scoring 16 points on 5-for-17 shooting.

The Nuggets shot 34.1%, their worst shooting game of the entire season.

Up next: Game 4, Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on ABC.

A Greater Roadrunner sighting in Denver has birders buzzing with no sign of Wile E. Coyote in pursuit far from the species’ usual range.

A Greater Roadrunner sighting in Denver is stirring interest among birders after the cuckoo was seen by multiple people in recent weeks.

According to a report on eBird.org, a Greater Roadrunner was spotted on April 15 along South Parker Road in Denver. While this is the only report on eBird for Denver, other recent sightings have sparked interest in the local birding scene, with mentions appearing on the Birds of Colorado Facebook group and other birding websites.

Audubon Denver Master Birder Crystal Reser told AccuWeather that while the sighting is “unusual,” it is not a “rare bird alert” like a more recent sighting of a white-faced ibis in Colorado, a species that typically inhabits the southeastern United States. Still, the roadrunner is well north of where the birds are usually found.

Greater roadrunners are native to Texas, Oklahoma and the far southeastern corner of Colorado. They are not typically found in urban environments.

“They do like to run,” Reser said, referencing the Looney Tunes cartoon. “They spend most of their time on the ground, hunting snakes, insects and bugs and chasing them on the ground.”

Reser said the bird was spotted in a congested part of the city near the High Line Canal, which could provide clues about how it ended up so far north of its usual habitat.

“My guess, he followed the greenbelt heading north from Colorado Springs to Denver,” Reser said.

This Denver newcomer may also be young. A juvenile bird could have become disoriented while searching for food or exploring. It could also be seeking a new habitat. Reser said no Greater Roadrunners have ever nested in the Denver metro area.

“We are seeing more kind of unusual birds showing up in Colorado,” Reser said.

Spring migration is a good time for birders to spot non-native species, but Reser said roadrunners do not typically migrate far from their southwestern habitat.

Still, she said the sighting highlights how bird-watching can reveal broader environmental patterns. Storms and weather changes can also push birds into unusual areas.

“The important thing is to pay attention to what is happening in nature,” she said. “Birds are one of the best ways to be in tune with nature…and trying to do something to improve it.”

Providing water in birdbaths and planting native plants are two ways people can help their feathered friends.

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