Anthony Edwards scored 45 points on October 22, 2026, leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 131-106 victory over the Miami Heat in the NBA season opener.
Giannis Antetokounmpo stepped onto the floor at the Kaseya Center on October 22, 2026, wearing a Miami Heat uniform for the first time in an official regular-season game following his summer departure from the Milwaukee Bucks. Born in Greece to Nigerian parents who immigrated from Lagos in 1991, the two-time MVP arrived in Miami after more than a decade of building his career in Milwaukee, where he led the Bucks to the top of the NBA in 2021.
The superstar forward wasted no time asserting himself, scoring the first eight points for his new club and piling up 21 points by halftime. The visiting Minnesota Timberwolves quickly turned the opening night celebration into a statement about the Western Conference. Anthony Edwards delivered a phenomenal performance, matching his scoring output with relentless defensive pressure and efficiency from beyond the arc. While Antetokounmpo carried the offensive load for large stretches, the home side struggled to find consistent secondary scoring as the game wore on.
Anthony Edwards Pours in 45 Points
The 25-year-old guard finished with 45 points, shooting 9-of-17 from three-point range while adding 10 rebounds and 3 assists in just under 33 minutes of play. Edwards established control of the floor with a lethal combination of driving penetration and perimeter shooting. His scoring burst placed him alongside elite company, marking him as only the third player in NBA history to score at least 40 points in more than one season opener—a feat previously achieved by Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan, following his 41-point effort against Portland the previous year.
Minnesota capitalized heavily on mistakes, converting 18 Heat turnovers into 31 points while dominating the perimeter battle by hitting 21 three-pointers to Miami’s 8.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Finishes with 35 Points
Antetokounmpo finished his debut with 35 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 assist in 29 minutes and 47 seconds of action. He shot 13-of-17 on two-pointers and went 9-of-14 from the free-throw line, demonstrating the interior dominance that head coach Erik Spoelstra planned around during the 22-day training camp. Foul trouble derailed his night late in the contest; head coach Erik Spoelstra pulled the Greek star to the bench roughly seven minutes before the final buzzer when the deficit had reached 22 points and the player had accumulated his fifth personal foul, leaving him out for the remainder of the evening.
Bam Adebayo posted 15 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals in 30 minutes and 31 seconds. The rest of the Heat roster struggled to find a rhythm against Minnesota’s physical defense. Miami’s bench offered limited production, contributing just a fraction of the scoring needed to keep pace with the visitors’ explosive second-half surge.
Minnesota Pulls Away in the Third Quarter
The contest remained competitive through a tight opening period that ended with Minnesota holding a narrow 34-32 edge. The Timberwolves gradually expanded that margin to 69-59 by halftime. Any hopes of a Miami comeback vanished in the third frame when Minnesota stretched the lead out of reach and sinking the Heat to a 106-131 final score.
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 34 | 35 | 30 | 32 | 131 |
| Miami Heat | 32 | 27 | 22 | 25 | 106 |
The team looks to rebound when they host the Detroit Pistons in the early hours of Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 03:00 Greece time, seeking to align their regular-season execution with the promising chemistry built during the preseason.
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EDWARDS SCORES 45 AS TIMBERWOLVES SPOIL GIANNIS'S HEAT DEBUT Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards scored 45 points and guard LaMelo Ball had 21 in his debut as Minnesota beat the Miami Heat 131-106 tonight. Heat forward Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 in his first game…