Minnesota Timberwolves 131, Miami Heat 106: Edwards' 45 and 21 threes

Miami won the paint, shot a higher percentage and still lost by 25. The Minnesota Timberwolves made 21 threes to the Miami Heat's eight, and Anthony Edwards made nine of them himself on his way to 45 points and 10 rebounds in a 131-106 opening-night win at Kaseya Center on Wednesday, October 21.

The arithmetic is blunt. Minnesota scored 63 points from beyond the arc. Miami scored 24. Everything else the Heat did well was not close to enough to cover a 39-point gap.

How it was won

The first quarter was even, 34-32 to Minnesota, and Miami held its only lead of the night in that stretch, never more than four. The game turned in the second. The Wolves scored 35 to Miami's 27 and went to the break up 69-59.

The third quarter is where Miami's offense stalled. The Heat managed 22 points while Minnesota added 30, and the lead stood at 99-81 going into the fourth. Minnesota kept scoring, posted 32 more, and pushed the margin as high as 30.

Edwards was the story: 45 points on 9-of-17 from three, 10 rebounds and three assists. LaMelo Ball added 21 points and six assists and hit 5 of 13 from deep. Jaden McDaniels scored 17 with eight rebounds. Between them, Edwards and Ball accounted for 14 of the team's 21 threes.

The Wolves shot 46 of 98 overall (47 percent) and 21 of 50 from three. They also controlled the glass, 52 rebounds to 34, which helped them take 17 more shots than Miami. The free throw line was the one sloppy spot: 18 of 29.

Miami's case is a strange one. The Heat shot 48 percent, outscored Minnesota 54-38 in the paint, had 27 assists to 20 and went 20 of 26 at the line. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35. But Miami shot 8 of 33 from three, lost the rebounding battle by 18 and turned it over 19 times to Minnesota's 16. Bam Adebayo had 15 points and seven rebounds, and Andrew Wiggins added 11. Those two combined to go 2 of 9 from three.

Against the number

Miami closed as a 1.5-point favorite, so Minnesota covered comfortably, winning outright by 25. The moneylines were close to a coin flip at the close: Minnesota -102, Miami -118. The market had this as a tight game, and it was for one quarter.

The total closed at 240.5, and 237 points went in, so the under came in. It was not a comfortable under for long: the teams combined for 128 in the first half, and Minnesota alone scored 131. Miami's 47-point second half is what kept it below the line.

Prices and line history are on the game page.

What's next

The opener has since been followed by three more Minnesota games. The Wolves won 115-93 at Orlando and 117-94 against Toronto before losing 127-125 at Cleveland, and they sit at 3-1. Next up is Golden State at home on Wednesday, October 28, on NBA League Pass.

Miami's next game was not part of this update. Check the Heat's team page for its schedule and the latest prices.