Antetokounmpo Debuts, Miami Heat Drop Season Opener Against Minnesota Timberwolves

MIAMI, Fla. – Giannis Antetokounmpo’s debut with the Miami Heat falls in the loss column, following a 131-106 outing to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night at the Kaseya Center to start the 2026-27 NBA season.

The 31-year-old displayed dominance in front of the South Florida fanbase with 35 points on 68.4 percent shooting, six rebounds, an assist, and a steal in 30 minutes. Antetokounmpo holds the record for the highest scoring performance in a Heat debut. However, it wasn’t enough to propel them to victory.

Antetokounmpo had 24 points come near the rim, which is expected from a player like him. Yet the main ingredient to surround him with for success, three-point shooting, wasn’t a factor. The Heat finished with eight made shots from behind the arc out of 33 attempts (24.2 percent).

Davion Mitchell, Bobby Portis Jr., Pelle Larsson, Andrew Wiggins, Tim Hardaway Jr., Nikola Jovic, and Klay Thompson combined for seven-of-25. As they serve as floor spacers when playing with Antetokounmpo, it makes the challenge to win more difficult when all of them were inefficient.

"We just have to trust what we're doing," Antetokounmpo said postgame. "We have to trust what we've been working on. I feel like our offense and defense in the preseason looked totally different. I don't know what it is, but we have to be better."

Even with a two-big lineup, the Heat lost the rebounding battle 52-34. Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert grabbed 15, including five of Minnesota’s 17 from the offensive glass. It led to 20 second-chance points compared to the Heat’s six.

Despite the new star in town, Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards shined brighter. He finished with 45 points on 55.2 percent shooting, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block in 33 minutes. Edwards made nine three-pointers of 17 attempts. As one of the league’s most prolific scorers, the 25-year-old wasn’t short of taking over.

It was debut night for new Timberwolves guard LaMelo Ball as well, who finished with 21 points on 41.2 percent shooting, two rebounds, six assists, and two steals in 29 minutes. He’s adapting to a new role compared to the last six seasons with the Charlotte Hornets.

The Heat dominated the paint with 54 points coming from it, but the lack of efficient outside shooting held them back, resulting in a blowout loss. They were still playing fast, which led to 18 fastbreak points. However, the Timberwolves’ 21-of-50 three-pointers made were too much to overcome.

"[Minnesota's] shot-making was impressive," head coach Erik Spoelstra said postgame. "They got it going and then it became Edwards in a dribble dance. He felt comfortable all night long. We never really got him thinking about anything else other than the rim."

Antetokounmpo’s debut night was tarnished, but he delivered on the excitement for the rest of South Florida and the NBA world to follow. The production elsewhere needs to pick up as the season progresses through its early stages.

The Heat will host the Detroit Pistons on Friday with tip-off scheduled at 8:00 p.m. E.T. and will be televised on WPLG Local 10.

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