The Miami Heat traveled to Minnesota on Friday night to take on the Timberwolves, a team that came in with the worst record in the NBA. On the other hand, the Heat looked to finish their four-game Western Conference road trip on a high note, after coming off underwhelming performances against Phoenix and Denver. Leading the charge with his 15th double-double of the season, Jimmy Butler dropped 30 points on 9-for-19 shooting while securing 10 rebounds. Newly acquired Trevor Ariza scored 21 points in the starting lineup while shooting 5-for-7 from behind the arc. Bam Adebayo was the defensive presence that kept the Heat in this game, adding 17 points and coming down with four rebounds.
Down the Stretch
Going into the fourth quarter, it looked as if the Heat had wrapped this one up. But, the Timberwolves made it very clear that this was not the case. Struggling play from the Heat bench in the closing minutes made a deficit that was just simply too large to overcome.
After the game, Jimmy Butler had this to say about the Heat’s performance: “We don’t deserve to win.” Clearly frustrated with the Heat’s play against a team that boasts the single worst record in the NBA, Butler expressed his frustrations after the game. Other than Goran Dragic, who scored 15 points in just 22 minutes of play, the Heat bench did little to nothing to support the starters. On the opposite end, the Timberwolves bench shined in this one. With three players in double figures, the spark off the bench for the Timberwolves was simply too much for the Heat to contain.
Kat’s Return
The return of Karl-Anthony Towns was very evident in this matchup. Towns had previously missed the Timberwolves’ last two games. The big man had spent time with his family on the one-year anniversary of his mother passing away. Towns played exceptionally well in this one, scoring 24 points, adding five rebounds, and dishing out five assists. When asked after the game about the significance of this game, Towns had this statement to make: “This win meant a lot to me.” Playing with his emotions on his sleeve, Towns made it very clear that he was playing for his late mother on Friday night.
Takeaways
- The Timberwolves have a winning record when both D’Angelo Russell and Karly-Anthony Towns play this season (5-4).
- The Wolves have won five straight against the Heat, dating back to the 2017-18 season.
- Minnesota’s bench outscored Miami’s bench 52-25, largely fueled by Hernangomez, Reid, Russell and Vanderbilt.
- Miami is 4-20 when allowing 109 points or more, 24-8 when holding teams to 108 or less.
“We’ve got to get stops and that’s the bottom line,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said. “Offense will take care of itself.”
- Guard Victor Oladipo missed his fourth straight game with right knee soreness.
Up Next
The Heat are back in Miami on Sunday night. They will look to bounce back with a challenging test against Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets.