MIAMI — Following a 131-106 opening night loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Giannis Antetokounmpo named trust as the primary area his new-look Miami Heat need to improve.
“We got to trust each other. When things don’t go our way, we got to dig in. We didn’t do that tonight,” Antetokounmpo said. “Our effort has to be better. It starts with me. My effort has to be better. I set the tone.”
The lack of trust and waning effort was on display Wednesday night after the Timberwolves’ new duo of Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball got hot from 3-point range.
Edwards and Ball heat up from deep
Edwards finished with 45 points on 9-of-17 shooting from 3, while Ball had 21 points on 5-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc. Minnesota hit 21 3s as a team, many of them from very deep.
“They have two players that can make shots that make your spirit get defeated. You got to keep playing through that,” Antetokounmpo said, referring to Edwards and Ball. “When [Edwards] made shots, we got discouraged and the game got easier for them. When guys get going, we have to be more physical with them.”
Antetokounmpo strong but dissatisfied
Antetokounmpo scored 35 points in a strong individual offensive performance in his Miami debut, showing aggression in getting to the free throw line 14 times. He wasn’t satisfied with his performance.
He said the word “trust” at least five times in his postgame locker room session with reporters. The Heat’s starting group had only two preseason games together because fellow star Bam Adebayo was limited by a minor groin injury.
Shotmaking and rebounding concerns
One worrisome theme to watch going forward is the Heat’s lack of shotmaking from supporting teammates. They shot just 24% from 3-point range. The smaller, athletic Timberwolves outrebounded the Heat 52-34, including a humbling 17-4 advantage on the offensive boards.
“This is steppingstone for us. When we get fatigued, we cannot get bored with our offense,” Adebayo said. “We’re a bigger team now. We got to take care of big muscle areas. We got to swarm on defense.”
Multiple players said the Heat weren’t vocal enough, not talking or communicating much. It has been a focus point all training camp as they added several new veterans, including Antetokounmpo, Klay Thompson and Bobby Portis, to an existing core led by Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell.
“We got to be better. We got to trust each other more,” Antetokounmpo said. “It’s just one game. But this is completely different offense and defense than we showed in preseason.”
Fans buzz for the debut
Heat fans were buzzing for Antetokounmpo’s debut — he’s the biggest star Miami has landed since the big three era — and they remained active even late in the fourth quarter when the outcome was decided.
Within the first few minutes, fans were already chanting “MVP” after an early Antetokounmpo bucket. When he began warming up on the court two hours before the game, hundreds of fans were already in attendance, many of them standing with cellphones in hand, recording traditional dribbles and layups and yelling whenever Antetokounmpo made a jumper.
The Heat host the Detroit Pistons in a bounce-back opportunity Friday.