Miami had spent the summer dreaming about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s first night in red and black. Anthony Edwards turned it into his own showcase. The Minnesota guard poured in 45 points, nine of them from three-pointers, and pulled down ten rebounds as the Timberwolves crushed the Heat 131-106 on Wednesday, sitting him down with almost four minutes still on the clock.
The performance placed Edwards in exalted company. He opened last season with 41 at Portland, and only two other players in league history – Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan – have reached 40 in more than one opener. Told about the list, Edwards grinned and offered a one-word review: “Fire.” He also made more threes on his own than the whole Miami roster, which went 8 for 33 from deep.
Antetokounmpo, acquired from Milwaukee in an off-season trade, did his part. He shot 13 of 19, scored 35 and had 21 of them by half-time. But he was whistled for a flagrant foul, fouled out late and could only watch as the game drifted away.
The turning point straddled the interval. After Miami briefly went ahead in the second quarter, Minnesota ripped off a 23-7 burst that stretched the margin to 78-61. LaMelo Ball, debuting for the Wolves, chipped in 21 points, while Rudy Gobert controlled the glass with 15 boards.
It is the third straight season Miami have lost their opener. Elsewhere on a busy night of debuts, Anthony Davis scored 34 as the Washington Wizards beat Giannis’ former club, the Bucks, 128-116.
