Timberwolves’ McDaniels, sprained wrist, misses first game in two years

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels was ruled out of Wednesday’s game against Washington because of a sprained left wrist, his first absence in nearly two years.

McDaniels played a season-low 23 minutes in Minnesota’s 120-96 win over Dallas on Monday, exiting for good late in the third quarter with the Timberwolves leading by 27 points.

McDaniels most recently sat out a game on Dec. 8, 2023, the last of eight consecutive contests he missed with a sprained right ankle. He played in 188 straight games after that, including 31 games in the playoffs over the last two years.

McDaniels, who is Minnesota’s best perimeter defender, is averaging 17.5 points per game and leading the NBA in three-point shooting (52.1 per cent), both by far career-best rates. His field-goal (55.3 per cent) and free-throw (84.2 per cent) shooting rates are also the highest of his six seasons in the league.