We have finally arrived!
After a long, energetic summer from the Miami Heat, they will be back on the hardwood for the regular season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday inside Kaseya Center.
Obviously, the headliner will be that it marks Giannis Antetokounmpo’s official home debut after a very strong preseason. It will also mark the debuts of LaMelo Ball in Minnesota, as well as Klay Thompson (Heat), Tim Hardaway Jr. (Heat) and Bobby Portis (Heat).
What To Watch For:
The biggest “what to watch” for ahead of a star-studded premiere is how Antetokounmpo matches up with Timberwolves (super)star Anthony Edwards, who has finished seventh in MVP voting in two of the last three years.
Antetokounmpo and the Heat are aiming to play at a rapid pace while the Timberwolves aren’t trying to play as fast. The Heat led the preseason in pace while scoring 118.3 points per 100 possessions; Minnesota was No. 10 and 12, respectively.
The Heat have a good enough defensive infrastructure to slow down the seventh-year guard, but that’s a task that’s much easier said than done. Miami also has more depth to flex across each position, although Minnesota does have intriguing top-end bench talent with Ayo Dosunmu, Joan Beringer and Terrence Shannon Jr.
The Heat will win if they can play the game at their pace, especially if they can pierce a very good Timberwolves half court defense before they get set.
What are your predictions ahead of Wednesday’s opener? Let us know in the comments!
Injury Report (at the time of this publishing):
Miami Heat:
- Vlad Goldin (ankle)
Minnesota Timberwolves:
- Donte DiVincenzo (achilles) — OUT
Projected Starting 5 (subject to change):
Miami Heat:
- Davion Mitchell, G
- Klay Thompson, G
- Andrew Wiggins, F
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, F
- Bam Adebayo, C
Minnesota Timberwolves:
- LaMelo Ball, G
- Anthony Edwards, G
- Jaden McDaniels, F
- Jonathan Kuminga, F
- Rudy Gobert, C
Broadcast Info:
- Tipoff: 7:30 PM EST
- TV: ESPN
- Radio: AM 560 Sports WQAM & The HEAT Radio Network (Jason Jackson)
- Spanish Radio: WAQI 710 AM & The HEAT Spanish Radio Network (José Pañeda)
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