Antetokounmpo finished with 35 points on 13-for-19 shooting, six rebounds and 21 first-half points, but he fouled out in the fourth quarter.
Anthony Edwards hit nine 3-pointers and scored 45 points, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan as the only players with at least 40 points in multiple season openers.
A 23-7 Minnesota run turned a one-point lead into 78-61 late in the second quarter and into the third, and Miami went 8-for-33 from three-point range.
LaMelo Ball scored 21 points in his Timberwolves debut after a four-team trade with Brooklyn, Charlotte and Chicago that sent Naz Reid to Charlotte.
Giannis Antetokounmpo hit a mid-range jumper on Miami's first possession, and the crowd at the Kaseya Center began chanting MVP as he went to the free-throw line. He scored the Heat's first eight points in about two minutes and fifteen seconds. He finished with 35 points on 13-for-19 shooting, six rebounds and 21 first-half points, the most by any Heat player in a regular-season debut according to The New York Times. He fouled out in the fourth quarter. Asked whether a big scoring night felt good when the team lost, he said no.
“I feel good when the team plays good, when things are clicking, when we're playing with a rhythm.”
Anthony Edwards scored 45 points and hit nine 3-pointers, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan as the only players with at least 40 points in multiple season openers. LaMelo Ball added 21 points, Jaden McDaniels scored 17 and Ayo Dosunmu had 16. The decisive stretch began late in the second quarter and carried into the third, when a 23-7 run turned a one-point Timberwolves lead into a 78-61 edge. Edwards and Ball combined for 17 points during that spurt, while Miami missed six of nine shots and turned the ball over on four possessions. Minnesota then ran a 45-23 burst, and Miami missed 11 of 12 three-point attempts in that stretch. For the game, the Timberwolves outscored Miami 63-24 on three-pointers and won the rebounding battle 52-34.
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Ball's debut came after a four-team trade with Brooklyn, Charlotte and Chicago, in which Minnesota acquired Ball and Josh Green and sent Naz Reid and draft picks to the Hornets. Ball had played in only 43% of his team's games over the 2022-25 stretch, and he now has a stronger supporting cast than he has had at any earlier point in his career. After the game he said the win felt good.
“It felt great being with the brothers, and obviously we won, so great night.”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Miami's defensive lapses in the opening minutes stood out most. He said the Heat were late getting under screens or not in position at the three-point line on the first three pick-and-rolls Minnesota ran.
“They played very well and their shotmaking was impressive.”
Miami has now dropped three consecutive season openers, the third time that has happened in franchise history according to AP. Edwards said in an on-court interview that he and Ball were going to become close friends, and the two shared a handshake and a hug after the game. The Timberwolves visit Orlando on Friday, 23 October, and the Heat host Detroit the same day. Antetokounmpo's strong opening stretch gave Miami an early offensive anchor, but the Heat still have to build a defence that holds up around him.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo made his Miami debut with 35 points on Wednesday, 21 October, but Minnesota won 131-106 behind Anthony Edwards's 45 points and LaMelo Ball's first game with the Timberwolves.
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