Heat suffer first loss to Wolves
Comeback falls short against Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS — It was a two-game trip that began as a story of who the Miami Heat were missing.
It ended as one about who the Heat have found — albeit without a third consecutive victory.
A night after overcoming a 21-point deficit in an overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks a night earlier, the Heat nearly overcame a 14-point deficit Sunday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves before falling 116-109.
Still, the Heat made it competitive to the finish behind the 25 points of rookie revelation Kendrick Nunn, who now has scored more points in his first three appearances than any Heat rookie. It was an effort the helped offset 23 points and 11 rebounds from Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns.
Yes, it well could have been a victory had Jimmy Butler been available, with the guard missing a third consecutive game for paternity leave, but Nunn has proven he belongs as a lineup fixture, mitigating the absences of Dion Waiters and James Johnson, and on this night, Derrick Jones Jr., as well, who was out
with a groin strain.
With Bam Adebayo and Justise Winslow also having their moments, the next step for the Heat could be as simple as subbing Butler into the starting lineup for first-round pick Tyler Herro, who endured an uneven shooting night.
Through all the ups and downs, the Heat found themselves in a 99-99 tie with 3:57 to play. But that’s when Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins loaded up with three consecutive 3-pointers to move the Timberwolves to a 110-101 lead with 1:45 to play, closing with 25 points.
Five degrees of Heat from Sunday’s game:
1. Flying Nunn: Nunn continued to play with no fear, to the point that Waiters will have to wrest a starting job away, if even possible.
Of Nunn and Herro being thrown into the starting-lineup fire from the outset, coach Erik Spoelstra said, “They’re really exciting, promising young players, but we’re relying on them now. This is not just about gifting them minutes so they get experience. They deserve it.”
Nunn was up to 18 points by halftime, already giving him the most points by a Heat rookie over the first three games of the season, easily pushing him past Michael Beasley’s 51 points in the first three games of 2008-09.
2. Towns center: Towns entered seeking to become the third player to record at least 35 points and at least 10 rebounds in each of his team’s first three games. The previous two were Wilt Chamberlain three times over his career and Elgin Baylor with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1962, which also marked the previous time it had been accomplished.
“He’s off to a fantastic start, obviously those numbers jump out at you,” Spoelstra said. “He can do it from everywhere. He can shoot nine threes in a game, he can really draw fouls, he can do it in the post, he can do it off drives. This is the natural evolution of a great young player.”
3. Revised rotation: Spoelstra went in saying he would not alter his rotation with his team playing on the second night of the back-to-back.
“We’re not doing load management,” he said. “We’re the Miami Heat.”
Circumstance, however, dictated otherwise.
With Jones out, rookies KZ Okpala and Chris Silva were in the game for the Heat by the end of the first period.
Okpala played early because of the need to get height defensively against Wiggins, who had eight early points.
4. Winslow’s numbers: Winslow again filled the box score for the Heat, this time with 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
He is becoming the complete player the Heat envisioned.
5. Running score: The Timberwolves utilized a19-4 run at the end of the opening period to take a 36-23 lead into the second quarter. The Heat then utilized an 18-4 run to end the second period and move to a 57-55 halftime lead.