EDWARDS SCORES 45 AS TIMBERWOLVES BEAT HEAT 131-106

Anthony Edwards scored 45 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Miami Heat 131-106 in their NBA season opener on Wednesday. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 points and took six rebounds in his first game for Miami after a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks. Edwards made nine three-pointers and added 10 rebounds. LaMelo Ball scored 21 points and supplied six assists on his Timberwolves debut. Minnesota led by 10 points at half-time before extending its advantage in the second half.

Edwards shot 16-for-29 from the floor, including 9-for-17 from three-point range. His total set a Timberwolves record for a season opener and made him the third NBA player, after Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan, to score at least 40 points in multiple openers. Minnesota made 21 three-pointers to Miami’s eight. Jaden McDaniels added 17 points for Minnesota, while Rudy Gobert took 15 rebounds. Bam Adebayo scored 15 points for Miami, and Davion Mitchell recorded 11 points and 10 assists.

In another opening game, Luka Doncic scored 28 points as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 127-105. Walker Kessler added 26 points for the Lakers, while Stephen Curry scored 23 for Golden State. The Lakers led by as many as 35 points in their first game since LeBron James joined Philadelphia as a free agent in July. “It was just how everybody played,” Doncic said of the Lakers’ performance. Edwards left Minnesota’s game with 3:51 remaining and the Timberwolves leading by 28 points.