You could start to increase your understanding by reading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_deities or https://www.learnreligions.com/atheism-and-devotion-in-buddh...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_points_unifying_Theravād...
Some traditions do not agree, of course.
> Buddhism explicitly denies the existence of gods.
Where does it state that? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_points_unifying_Therav%C... says nothing about the denial of the existence of gods.