"Too much now": NBA Fans Turn on Jaden McDaniels After Slapping Stephon Castle in Game 3

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"Too much now": NBA Fans Turn on Jaden McDaniels After Slapping Stephon Castle in Game 3 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Victor Wembanyama's brilliant 39 points and 15 rebounds helped the San Antonio Spurs win Game 3 against the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-108 at Target Center on Friday.

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This gives them a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals. While Wembanyama was the main story, his teammate Stephon Castle also had a solid performance, finishing with 13 points and 12 assists.

However, most people are talking about Castle's in-game scuffle with Wolves star Jaden McDaniels, which became the main postgame conversation for all the bad reasons.

With 4:18 remaining in the third quarter, a loose-ball scramble left Spurs rookie Dylan Harper crashing to the floor after hitting the back of his head on McDaniels’ knee. As officials stopped play to check on Harper, McDaniels and Castle went nose-to-nose in a heated exchange.

Video of their heated exchange has since turned viral online. In one close-up, it appears McDaniels slapped Castle before teammates and officials stepped in to stop both of them. 

While the clip suggests the Timberwolves forward may have started the confrontation, officials hit both players with technical fouls. However, folks are calling McDaniels out because they believe his aggressive antics are more show than substance. He often initiates confrontations but usually needs teammates to hold him back, just as he did in this incident. 

One fan wrote, "This McDaniels acting tough act is getting lame."

Another added, "Jaden McDaniels is feeling himself TOO much now.. dude posted up against Nikola Jokic... think he's some untouchable."

A third one claimed, "This dude's whole playoffs has been trying to fight people."

The fourth one penned, "The fake tough guy aura in the NBA needs to be studied. Everybody suddenly turns into WWE after a hard foul."

A random X user remarked, "Damn another McDaniels fight, first with Jokic now with Stephon Castle."

The sixth one noted, "Jaden McDaniels wants that villain role." 

The reference to Nikola Jokic doesn't come out of nowhere. During the first round of the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets, McDaniels scored an uncontested layup in the closing seconds of a blowout win.

That play prompted Nikola Jokic to charge him, requiring both benches to intervene. Jokic and Julius Randle were ejected. When asked about the moment to McDaniels, he replied, "I don't know what he said, to be honest. I just seen someone that was big as hell."

McDaniels brought that same intensity to the second round against the Spurs. Game 4 is set to tip off Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock. With the Timberwolves trailing the series 2-1, they need McDaniels to focus on scoring rather than confrontations.

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