Donte DiVincenzo buried a dagger 3-pointer and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 to even the playoff series at one game apiece. Jaden McDaniels and DiVincenzo then pointed to one man sitting behind the bench as part of the reason their seasons have looked different: James "Flight" White.
McDaniels finished with 14 points, while DiVincenzo had 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the series-tying win. White watched from behind the Timberwolves bench and pulled both players aside during timeouts, a quiet presence that fit the role Chris Finch had in mind when he handpicked him to work with them because he believed their personalities and temperaments would mesh well.
The setting mattered, and not just because Minnesota needed the response after Jamal Murray torched the Wolves in Game 1. On a cool January night in Houston, McDaniels, DiVincenzo and White went to Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen the night before an important game against the Rockets, part of a road ritual the players and White had built around breaking bread together away from the arena. White, whose family lives in Houston, brought his two children to that dinner, and the gathering helped cement a relationship that has carried over into the playoffs.
DiVincenzo said White is someone he can call any time of day to talk about life, basketball or nothing at all, and added that those are the kinds of conversations a team needs. White, who played 67 career NBA games, said his background as a player helps him understand how stressful the game can be and how much pressure players place on themselves. He also said it is important to remember that they are still playing a kid’s game and are blessed to do it.
That context helps explain why Minnesota’s surge has been about more than a score line. DiVincenzo started every game he played for just the second time in his eight-year career, and McDaniels showed more offensive versatility and potential in his sixth season than he ever had before. Against Denver, that growth showed up in the box score and in the way both players talked afterward, with White’s influence woven through each answer.
The Timberwolves score in Game 2 did more than settle the series for one night. It showed how a coach’s bet on fit, a veteran with a short NBA résumé and two players searching for another level can matter when the games tighten and the postseason starts asking for answers.
