Timberwolves
Timberwolves bury Heat from the three-point line, led by Edwards' 45
Minnesota beat Miami 131-106 at Kaseya Center behind 45 points from Anthony Edwards and 21 made threes. The Timberwolves improved to 2-0, while the Heat fell to 0-3 and sit 14th in the East.
By the Hoops Nightly Desk · updated 16 h ago01The story of the nightMinnesota pulls away after halftimeThe first quarter was close.
The first quarter was close. Minnesota led 34-32. The Timberwolves took the second quarter 35-27 and went to the break up 69-59. The game turned in the third. Minnesota scored 30 and held Miami to 22, and the score after three quarters was 99-81. The Heat never led by more than 4 all night. Minnesota's biggest lead was 30. The teams traded the lead 7 times, but Miami could not hold it. The Heat scored 25 in the fourth and never cut into the margin. The Timberwolves closed with 32 to make it 131-106.
02Edwards and Antetokounmpo lead the scoringAnthony Edwards scored 45 points on 16-of-29 shooting.
Anthony Edwards scored 45 points on 16-of-29 shooting. He hit 9 of 17 threes, grabbed 10 rebounds and added 2 steals. He finished +25 in 32.6 minutes. LaMelo Ball added 21 points, 6 assists and 5 made threes. Jaden McDaniels scored 17 on 8-of-11 shooting and had 8 rebounds and 3 steals. Ayo Dosunmu gave Minnesota 16 off the bench. For Miami, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 on 13-of-19 shooting and made 9 of 14 free throws. Bam Adebayo had 15 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Davion Mitchell had 11 points and 11 assists, but also 5 turnovers.
03Where it was won: the three-point lineThe gap came from distance.
The gap came from distance. Minnesota made 21 of 50 threes. Miami made 8 of 33. Klay Thompson hit 3 of 6, but Tim Hardaway Jr. went 1 of 7 and Andrew Wiggins hit 1 of 4. Miami actually shot a better overall percentage, 48.1% to Minnesota's 46.9%, because it lived in the paint. The Heat outscored Minnesota 54-38 inside and 18-5 on the fast break. It was not enough. The Timberwolves also won the glass 67-44, and Rudy Gobert had 15 rebounds on his own.
04Turnovers and benchMinnesota turned defense into points.
Minnesota turned defense into points. The Timberwolves had 11 steals to Miami's 7. They scored 31 points off turnovers, while the Heat scored 17. Miami committed 18 turnovers to Minnesota's 14. Jonathan Kuminga had 4 steals in 29.5 minutes. The bench also leaned Minnesota's way, 31 points to 24. Dosunmu led that group, and Terrence Shannon Jr. added 10. Bobby Portis Jr. scored 7 for Miami, and Nikola Jovic shot 2 of 8. Miami's starters were all deep in the red on plus-minus, led by Adebayo at -28.
05What it meansMinnesota is 2-0, sits 6th in the West and has won 2 straight.
Minnesota is 2-0, sits 6th in the West and has won 2 straight. It has also won both meetings with Miami this season, after taking the first one 125-124. The Timberwolves have made their case early as a team that can win with shooting and pressure. Miami is 0-3, 14th in the East and 0-3 over its last 10 games. Antetokounmpo carried the offense, but nobody else shot well from outside, and the turnovers kept feeding Minnesota's transition game. The Heat need more from the perimeter and fewer giveaways.
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