Anthony Edwards wasted little time making the first night of this new Timberwolves look like something bigger than a regular-season opener.
Minnesota’s revamped group rolled to a 131-106 win over Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Miami Heat, and Edwards came out of it sounding every bit like a player who believes in what the front office built. The centerpiece of that belief is LaMelo Ball, who shared the floor with Edwards for the first time in a real game, and the chemistry showed immediately.
“Me and him are gonna be like best friends,” said Edwards in the post-game interview.
That didn’t feel like empty postgame noise, either. Throughout the game, Edwards and Ball were laughing and smiling together, the kind of easy interaction that makes the whole thing look less like a new pairing and more like a partnership that has already started to click.
Edwards did plenty of the heavy lifting on the court, too. He finished with 45 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block while shooting 55.2% from the field. He also found himself in the middle of some back-and-forth with the other sideline, and he said the words from the bench pushed him a little.
“A player on they bench was talkin trash,” Edwards explained. “He was talkin pretty crazy.
And then when I started talkin to him, he didn’t really have too much more to say. And I don’t really like that.
Like, if you gonna talk shit, keep talkin shit. Don’t get quiet.”
Minnesota’s shot volume was another talking point after the game. The Timberwolves put up 50 threes, and Edwards shrugged off any concern about that approach.
“We shot 50 3s tonight? That’s crazy… but that’s his game,” said Edwards. “Finchy [Chris Finch] loves it, so we’re gonna keep it going.”
The bigger picture is why this mattered for Minnesota in the first place. After their defeat in the Conference Semifinals in May, the Timberwolves went into the offseason intent on making sure they had enough to match up with the NBA’s elite. The result was a roster that now pairs Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and Rudy Gobert with Ball and Jonathan Kuminga.
Edwards reportedly loved the moves the team made over the summer, and the way this group looked in its first real run together helps explain why. The early bond between Edwards and Ball has been building for a while, with the two meeting up with teammates before the season even started. That work has already translated into trust, on and off the floor, and it’s clear the two guards are trying to make the partnership stick.
For Minnesota, the talent is obvious. The question now is how far that chemistry can carry them. Edwards sure sounded like someone convinced the ceiling is high.
In Other News...
Giannis Gave Heat Fans A Big Debut And An Immediate Concern
Giannis Antetokounmpo made an immediate splash in his Miami Heat debut, pouring in 35 points and adding six rebounds in a performance that rewrote the teams record book. His scoring total set a new franchise mark for the most points by a player in a Heat debut, topping LeBron James previous high of 31 and giving Miami plenty to think about even in a lopsided result.
The concern came just as quickly as the excitement. Miami was beaten by the Minnesota Timberwolves 131-106, and the loss exposed issues on the glass and from beyond the arc that went beyond one strong individual showing. For the Heat, the debut offered a reminder that even when a star arrives in style, the surrounding pieces still have to hold up. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Richards Just Cleared An Important Heat Roster Line
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The move also fits into a broader NBA trend, with several other players around the league now sitting on contracts that become partially or fully guaranteed if they are not waived by the deadline. For Miami, though, the immediate takeaway is simpler: Richards is no longer in limbo, and the Heat can move forward with one less question hanging over the back end of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Giannis Era Heat Face An Early Test That Will Say A Lot
The first look at the Giannis Antetokounmpo era in Miami comes with little room to settle in. The Heat are set to open the 2026-27 season facing a demanding early stretch, with six road games and two back-to-back sets in their first 10 contests, a schedule that will ask plenty of a team still learning how its new identity fits together.
There are also enough favorable matchups mixed in to give Miami a chance to build some early traction, which is why some around the league think a fast start is realistic. Still, the bigger question is less about the record than the rhythm, because how quickly the Heat find chemistry in those opening weeks should say a lot about how steady this new era can be. [Read more 🡒]