Timberwolves sting Butler-less Heat

Reserve Naz Reid scored 11 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter as the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away down the stretch and beat the shorthanded Miami Heat, 106-90, on Saturday night, October 28 (Sunday, October 29, Manila time).

Minnesota won its eighth straight home opener by dominating the final 16-plus minutes. Tyler Herro’s three-pointer gave Miami a 70-68 lead with 4:47 remaining in the third period, but the Timberwolves took the lead for good at 72-70 when Kyle Anderson sank a floater with 3:31 remaining.

Anderson’s hoop was part of a 12-3 run that helped the Wolves take an 80-73 lead into the fourth. Miami was within 82-79 on two free throws with 9:34 but Reid took over to help Minnesota surge ahead.

Playing the second night of a back-to-back following an eight-point loss in Boston on Friday, the Heat rested Jimmy Butler, the former Minnesota player who heard “Where is Jimmy” chants from the crowd in the final minutes. 

Caleb Martin (knee) and Kevin Love (shoulder) also sat out.

Anthony Edwards added 19 points and 7 assists as the Wolves shot 51.2%. 

Rudy Gobert chipped in 14 and 14 rebounds, and Conley contributed 14 and 5 assists. Anderson finished with 12 points and Karl-Anthony Towns totaled 12 and 10 boards.

Herro led the Heat with 22 points on 8-of-23 shooting and Bam Adebayo added 19. The other three Miami starters – Nikola Jovic, rookie Jamie Jaquez Jr., and Kyle Lowry – were held to a combined 18 points.

After converting a three-point play, Reid hit two threes for a 91-79 lead with 6:52 remaining. Gobert followed with a layup and a dunk before Mike Conley’s triple made it 98-80 with 5:19 left.

Reid made 10-of-14 shots from the floor and tied a career high by hitting four treys as Minnesota’s bench contributed 42 points. 

Reid’s output was the most points by a Minnesota reserve in a home opener and the forward finished 5 points shy of his career high.

Miami shot 40.2% from the floor, including 12-for-39 from the three-point line. – Rappler.com