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Anthony Edwards Drops 45 as Timberwolves Spoil Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Heat Debut, 131-106
Anthony Edwards scored a franchise-record 45 points in a season opener as the Timberwolves blasted the Heat 131-106, spoiling Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Miami debut.
The Minnesota Timberwolves walked into Kaseya Center on Wednesday night with no interest in being the opening act. Behind a historic 45-point explosion from Anthony Edwards, Minnesota spoiled Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Miami Heat debut with a 131-106 rout in the season opener.
Edwards was in full takeover mode: 45 points on 16-of-29 shooting, 9-of-17 from three-point range, 10 rebounds and 3 assists. It was the most points ever scored by a Timberwolves player in a season opener and the 125th 30-point game of his career. According to the NBA, Edwards is the first player in league history to post at least 45 points, 10 rebounds and five made threes in a season opener, and he now joins Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan as the only players with multiple 40-point season openers.
Minnesota led 69-59 at the break after both superstars went off for 21 in the first half, then slammed the door with a 23-7 run that stretched the lead to 78-61. Edwards checked out for good with 3:51 left and the Wolves up 28. The difference was the arc and the glass: Minnesota buried 21 threes to Miami’s 8 and owned the boards 52-34.
LaMelo Ball made his Timberwolves debut count with 21 points, 6 assists and five threes. “It felt great being with the brothers,” Ball said. “Obviously we won, so great night.” Jaden McDaniels added 17 points, Ayo Dosunmu had 16 and Jonathan Kuminga 12, while Rudy Gobert controlled the paint with 15 rebounds.
Antetokounmpo gave the Miami crowd plenty to cheer about in his first game since the offseason blockbuster trade from Milwaukee — 35 points on 13-of-19 shooting and 6 rebounds, with MVP chants raining down early — before fouling out late. Klay Thompson scored 10 in his Heat debut, Bam Adebayo had 15, and Davion Mitchell finished with 11 points and 10 assists. Miami has now dropped three straight season openers.
Edwards admitted afterward that some chatter from the Heat bench lit his fuse — and once he got rolling, there was no cooling him off. Minnesota visits Orlando on Friday, while the Heat host Detroit.
Photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images
The NBA fined Boston Celtics star Paul George $2,000 for flopping during the Celtics’ 121-113 season-opening loss to the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night, the league announced Wednesday.
“BOS’s Paul George was assessed a postgame Flopping fine of $2,000 upon league office review,” the NBA said in its announcement. The play under review came with about three minutes remaining in regulation, when George bumped Pistons guard Duncan Robinson in transition and went down hard despite light contact.
The penalty adds an unusual footnote to an otherwise historic debut. George scored 38 points in his first regular-season game with Boston, setting a franchise record for points scored in a Celtics debut. He shot 12-of-21 from the field and 7-of-12 from three-point range, adding five rebounds, three assists and five steals. He became just the sixth player in NBA history to record at least 38 points, five rebounds, five steals and seven made three-pointers in a single game.
George’s big night was spoiled by Boston’s collapse. The Celtics led Detroit by as many as 22 points before the Pistons stormed back with a 28-3 fourth-quarter surge to win 121-113. Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren scored 22 points apiece for Detroit, while Duncan Robinson scored 21, including 15 in the fourth quarter.
George joined the Celtics this offseason in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers. Under the NBA’s flopping rules, the league office can assess penalties after reviewing game footage even when officials do not call a violation during the game, with fines escalating for repeat offenders. The $2,000 fine does not include a suspension and does not affect George’s availability for Boston’s next game.
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