This is our Heat-Timberwolves GAMETHREAD: Chat live about the game here!
The Miami Heat are back in action tonight as they welcome the Minnesota Timberwolves to Kaseya Center for their third preseason game of the 2026-27 NBA season.
Miami enters Saturday night’s matchup with a perfect 2-0 preseason record after defeating the Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans. The Heat’s new-look roster has provided plenty of excitement so far, particularly with Giannis Antetokounmpo dazzling right out of the gate alongside Bam Adebayo in the frontcourt.
Tonight, however, will look considerably different.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra is giving several veterans the night off, including Giannis, Bam, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell. That means an opportunity for players such as Nikola Jović, Pelle Larsson and rookie Tre Donaldson to take on larger roles.
Minnesota is taking a similar approach, sitting Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Rudy Gobert and several other regular rotation players.
Although fans won’t get a preview of the two teams’ star-studded lineups, tonight should provide a valuable opportunity to evaluate Miami’s depth and see which younger players can make a case for meaningful minutes once the regular season begins.
And with these same teams scheduled to meet in Miami’s regular-season opener on October 21, consider tonight a very different kind of preview.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS
Miami Heat
- Tre Donaldson, PG
- Pelle Larsson, SG
- Simone Fontecchio, SF
- Nikola Jović, PF
- Nick Richards, C
Minnesota Timberwolves
- Bones Hyland, PG
- Terrence Shannon Jr., SG
- Jaylen Clark, SF
- Trey Lyles, PF
- Joan Beringer, C
INJURY REPORT / PLAYER AVAILABILITY
Miami Heat
| Player | Status | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | OUT | Rest |
| Bam Adebayo | OUT | Rest |
| Klay Thompson | OUT | Rest |
| Andrew Wiggins | OUT | Rest |
| Davion Mitchell | OUT | Rest |
| Tim Hardaway Jr. | OUT | Rest |
| Bobby Portis Jr. | OUT | Rest |
| Dru Smith | OUT | Calf |
| Keshad Johnson | OUT | Hamstring |
| Pelle Larsson | AVAILABLE | Returning from illness |
Minnesota Timberwolves
| Player | Status | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Anthony Edwards | OUT | Rest |
| LaMelo Ball | OUT | Rest |
| Jaden McDaniels | OUT | Rest |
| Rudy Gobert | OUT | Rest |
| Jonathan Kuminga | OUT | Rest |
| Ayo Dosunmu | OUT | Rest |
| Donte DiVincenzo | OUT | Achilles |
GAME INFO
- Matchup: Minnesota Timberwolves (1-1) at Miami Heat (2-0)
- Date: Saturday, October 10, 2026
- Time: 8:00 PM ET
- Location: Kaseya Center — Miami, Florida
- TV: WPLG Local 10 (South Florida)
- Radio: 104.3 FM / 1140 AM Kaseya Center
The preseason is all about finding out what you have beyond your starting five, and tonight offers Spoelstra an excellent opportunity to do just that.
Let’s go HEAT!
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What happened to hhh? H4L misses him.
not a heat fan too negative about our beloved sports team never a positive thing to say .never one nice comment about duncs d
The voice of positive-ness has spoken, lol
“Optimism isn’t about ignoring difficulties; it’s about believing in solutions.”
what was the last play call let conwell go one on one lol.pathetic spo gotta come up with a better play or conwell theres 4 other guys on the ct
The kid was on a roll in the 4th quarter and ended up 22/5/9. Why not give him the opportunity in a preseason game?
a game that doesnt matter i guess air ball though rc
Yes it was. Bad shot, but decent overall game from up and coming rookie.
vlads got skills finally showed some richards def a backup center.no room for vlad.cant carry 3 centers.vlad back to sioux city.mbengs got skills no room for him.conwells a draft he will stick.20 will be in g league.nikos not doing to much which was a problem for him playing smarter
Vlad played well. It was good to see.i agree about Mbeng. Reminds me of Dosunmu.
Jovic, Gardner and Conwell state lines look pretty good. Goldin and Richards don’t look bad either.
I think Miami may have found a couple of back-up PG candidates.
oops…stat lines
lebrons first miss.of his posting career
HaHaHa! I’ve made several mistakes in my life. Most recently, I made the mistake of ordering red wine with seafood.
posting career not your life your posting career was 4254 posts 4254 makes that streak came to an end last night.gotta be better lebron rcs gaining ground on you.i got rc at 4253 posts 4113 makes.to many herro and uncan misses.
Don’t forget Winslow.
Nice to know. Cross fingers it translates well game time. This might be Jovic’s last chance. Can’t wait for the real party to start.
for me hes had enough chances,hes been pretty bad for 4 years especially last year.im all for the heat winning nothing against the guy but hes been given way to many chances.i think gard should gobble up nikos minutes
I think Heat should help him find his mojo first. After that, decide if he is needed in a specific role or if there is a player of greater need available in trade.
were gonna have to make a trade for jewelry imo,look at some of the backcourts of good teams compared to ours.unless dav ups his game (more pts) i dont think we can win it all.davs a good defender but his lack of size hurts him quite a bit when taken down low.imo dru is a better defender.
Hey this isn’t MLB. The Heat is not the Dodgers. In the NBA there’s this thing called an apron. You make due with what you have. Miami doesn’t need a Brunson to win it all. They just their starting players to perform up to their expected levels and rotation players to perform up to their potentials. I’m not worried about Mitchell. He’s very valuable for his playmaking, transition game and defense. He’s the point of the Heat’s spear on defense.
My repost..
Not necessarily. I remember this:
“Maybe no one felt better than Avery Johnson. He had been cut by Denver on Christmas Eve, cut by the Spurs on the day of Robinson’s wedding. Portland point guard Damon Stoudamire had said the Spurs would never reach the NBA Finals, let alone win it, with Johnson at their helm.”
As my esteemed colleague has pointed out, sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. And let’s not discount the possibility that Donaldson can develop into a decent starter or backup.
I think one of Mitchell’s strong skills is playmaking. His 3 point shooting is also improving. As a fall back position, Miami has a few other possible options for back-up PG (especially if you think outside the box). The team also has enough good ball handling players to facilitate playmaking by committee.
“Mitchell is generally regarded as the better and more accomplished perimeter defender, though Smith is also a tenacious, high-effort workhorse on the defensive end”
If Dru can improve his playmaking (assists) and scoring (ppg) a few notches, he could be an excellent back-up to Mitchell.
I’m hoping all our players have good years. It’s a team effort. Everyone needs to carry their own weight
It has turned into the Conwell Mbeng show. Good job. Best I’ve seen Vlad too.
Boooo….rest is for the weak lol.
I would dispute that, but I’m relaxing on my couch right now.
Us 50 and up gets a pass haha
greek bam port richards whats nikos position.richards bc c port bc pf
We’ve been saying for a while his best spot is sf, pf in a pinch.
Exactly. Hopefully, he continues improving before the opener. That will give Miami more flexibilty from rotation as well as trade perspectives. Although I see him as more of a point forward than a true power forward, if he toughens up he can play both positions well. Ideally, Jovic can play back-up to Giannis (and Portis can back up Bam) and he can also fill in for Wiggins.
theres no way jovic can guard a sf has to guard pfs.hes looked better than previous years but need to see lot more of steady play .just dont take it to the hoop to much.be solid player make some winning plays and eliminate all the bad plays consistency needed from him which hes never had before
He went to the hoop a few times tonight with authority. He’s playing better, but I want to see it in the regular season.
bros hands and feet to quick it is what it is.in serbia croatia slovenia wherever the hells hes from 1st team all serbian team ,in usa first team scrubola hopefully that will change.hes running out of chances not out of $$$
Try watching the games. When he scored at the basket last night, it was against ‘bros’. As usual, Mr Negative, even as the guy is showing some signs of life and that he may be able to contribute this season. Maybe it’ll be another one of your “who saw this coming” moments if he does well this season.
HFL- I think you spend too much time pointing out the liabilities of certain players who seem to be of a Caucasian persuasion. You’ve been doing it for years (like Dunc, Ty). Even I, the person who displeased everyone here with my implying that there should be quotas, get tired of hearing it. Last year I understood, but no longer.
This team fixed its issues. They are now Milwaukee’s problems. We have no real obvious weak links anymore. Even Niko shows signs of potential. But, no matter how he does, it won’t kill our chances as we don’t have to play him anymore if he doesn’t perform (it’s still fair to lament his contract). But, we have adequate replacements at his position now. And, in Pelle and Simone, we have solid players who will contribute.
So, the pick on and blame the white player stuff doesn’t really apply to the Heat anymore. Give that stuff a rest, as there’s a lot of other things to talk about. .
Good point. And I am not suggesting Jovic WILL be good, I’m just hoping he breaks out of his funk and just contributes. I agree with hfl and anyone who points out that his first 4 years have been mostly a zero. The announcers last night pointed out that he still is the same age as our recent draft picks. It’s not an excuse, just a true statement. But, as previously stated, this is the year he had to prove himself. If not, the b word will be applicable.
Only bright spots have been Jovic and Pelle. Very sloppy second half so far.
bones putitng on a show
gard pelle similar styles sweden hooper vs inner city hooper
gardner better than pelle imo hes just got to play smarter stay out of foul trouble
Similar in effort. Right now, Pelle is better.
disagree
Pelle started 50+ games last season and was effective. What has Gardner proved so far? Nada.
eye test gard
Reality Pelle
Btw, as you should know, I really like Gardner and feel he deserves minutes this season. Feisty, athletic, showing he can shoot.
If Gardner can get his emotions and aggressiveness under control, I can see him developing into a very good two-way PG, SG or even a SF in a pinch.
exactly hes a very exciteable young man can do everything just needs to be more professional very immateurish some of his dum plays,if he gets his play under control he will be better than pelle and i like pelles swedish game
Maybe, but he’s not yet.
true hes been a dum ass so far
He deserves minutes. He has a very interesting skill set.
Meaningless scrimmage. But, Niko doing well.
panthers in trouble medicore team w/o barky marchy imo
u c game
Our second and third team against theirs. Yes, Jovic continues to show signs of life.
Let’s go Heat!