Photo Credit: Minnesota Timberwolves/Instagram
By: Jennifer Portee
Giannis Antetokounmpo gave Miami 35 points in his first game with the Heat. Anthony Edwards gave the Timberwolves 45 and nine 3-pointers Miami couldn’t afford to trade baskets with.
Edwards added 10 rebounds, LaMelo Ball scored 21 in his Minnesota debut, and the Timberwolves pulled away for a 131-106 season-opening win Wednesday night.
The Timberwolves outscored the Heat 63-24 from beyond the arc and won the rebounding battle 52-34. Edwards led Minnesta’s hot shooting while Rudy Gobert grabbed 15 rebounds. By the time Miami needed a sustained push to get back into the game, its outside shots had stopped falling.
Edwards also put his name alongside two of the game’s greatest scorers. After scoring 41 in last season’s opener at Portland, he joined Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan as the only players with at least 40 points in multiple season openers. Chamberlain did it four straight times from 1959 through 1962. Jordan reached the mark in 1986, 1989 and 1995.
Wednesday’s performance came with plenty of help. Jaden McDaniels scored 17 points, Ayo Dosunmu added 16 and Jonathan Kuminga finished with 12. Ball, meanwhile, was involved in the stretch that first put Miami in trouble.
Minnesota led by one late in the second quarter before a six-minute run before halftime changed the game. Edwards and Ball combined for 17 points during a 23-7 run that pushed the Timberwolves ahead 78-61.
The Heat helped open that gap. They missed six of nine shots and committed four turnovers during the run, giving Minnesota too many chances to build momentum without having to answer at the other end.
Antetokounmpo had kept Miami competitive early, scoring 21 of his 35 points before halftime. He finished 13-for-19 from the field with six rebounds before fouling out. It was a productive debut individually, but the Heat couldn’t turn it into a close finish.
Bam Adebayo added 15 points.
Miami did cut the deficit to eight midway through the third quarter. That was its chance to make Minnesota feel some pressure. Instead, Edwards took over again.
He scored 18 points during a 45-23 Timberwolves run, while the Heat missed 11 of 12 attempts from three. Miami was trying to close the gap from outside, but the misses kept piling up as Minnesota stretched the lead.
The difference wasn’t simply that Edwards had the bigger scoring night. Minnesota got production across its lineup, controlled the glass and made 3-pointers at a rate Miami couldn’t match. Antetokounmpo’s efficient work inside couldn’t cover all of that.
The Timberwolves have now won six of their last eight season openers. Miami has lost three straight, marking the third time in franchise history it has opened three consecutive seasons with a defeat.
Minnesota visits Orlando on Friday. The Heat host Detroit that night.