Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Miami loses to Timberwolves 125-122.
Heat firstround pick Bam Adebayo got his first NBA double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Waiters’ strong fourth quarter not enough
MIAMI — This was the full Waiters Island experience, an amusement destination like few others in the NBA, with Dion Waiters putting the Miami Heat on his back during Monday night’s fourth quarter.
The problem was that the game went to an additional period, rendering Waiters’ 14 fourth-quarter points largely moot in what turned into a 125-122 overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Unable to overcome their 24 turnovers, the Heat fell to 2-4 as they continued in the injury absence of center Hassan Whiteside.
Waiters, who forced overtime with his driving layup with 3.6 seconds to play in regulation, led the Heat with 33 points, matching his career high, supported by 23 from Kelly Olynyk, 18 from Goran Dragic, and the first NBA double-double by Heat first-round pick Bam Adebayo, who closed with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
But with overtime 3-pointers from KarlAnthony Towns and Jeff Teague, the Timberwolves had more at the finish.
The Heat were without Whiteside for a fifth consecutive game, due to a bone bruise on his left knee sustained during the Oct. 18 season-opening road loss to the Orlando Magic.
“I’m very encouraged by the progress that he is making,” coach Erik Spoelstra said.
That had Adebayo starting for the third consecutive game alongside James Johnson, Josh Richardson, Waiters and Dragic.
The Heat were without reserve guard
Wayne Ellington during Monday morning’s shootaround due to an illness, with Ellington then cleared to play Monday night, but used sparingly.
Okaro White, however, wound up getting Ellington’s early minutes, as the fourth reserve off the bench, after Tyler Johnson, Olynyk and Justise Winslow.
The game followed a Sunday team meeting.
“Every single day is a day to try to get better, and that’s all it was with our team [Sunday],” Spoelstra said. “It was a normal work day. Our guys are actively involved. It was a film session and then a practice. And that’s the way it should be, guys should be fully vested as part-owners of this basketball team and work through some of the things that we’re struggling with, in terms of getting to our consistent identity.”
The Timberwolves scored the first six points of overtime, seemingly ending it. But back came Tyler Johnson with a basket, and then, following a Minnesota turnover, Olynyk converted a 3-pointer with 49.4 seconds left to draw the Heat within 119-117.
That’s when Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins slammed a dunk attempt off the iron, with the officials calling a foul on Winslow. Wiggins made both foul shots for a 121-117 Minnesota lead.
Waiters came back with a driving layup with 28.5 seconds left to draw the Heat within 121-119.
But that’s when the Heat got caught in a defensive scramble, allowing an open Butler to score at the rim.
Waiters followed with a 3-pointer to draw the Heat within 123-122.
Teague then got to the line with 4.4 seconds left and both teams out of timeouts. He made both to close the scoring.
The Heat found themselves down 104-97 with 3:09 left in regulation.
Later, a pair of free throws by Jimmy Butler opened a 106-101 Minnesota lead, with Waiters countering on a drive to trim the deficit to 106-103 with 1:55 left in the fourth.
Butler then was forced into a turnover by Waiters, who then appeared to convert a 3-pointer that tied it. A loose ball foul, however, was called on Butler, which the officials said came before Waiters’ basket.
The call then was upheld upon view review, with Olynyk instead sent to the line with 1:14 left in regulation and the Heat down 106-103. With the Heat 12 of 19 from the line to that point, Olynyk made both to draw the Heat within 106-105.
Wiggins then followed up his own miss for a 108-105 Minnesota lead with one minute to play in the fourth.
Waiters then got to the line with 50.1 seconds to play in regulation, making only the second free throw to draw the Heat within 108-106.
But a fierce dunk by Wiggins made it 110-106 Minnesota with 38.6 seconds left in the fourth.
Waiters got back to the line with 31.6 seconds left in regulation, making both foul shots to draw the Heat within 110-108.
Needing a defensive stop, the Heat got just that, foiling a Wiggins drive and calling time with 10.7 seconds to play in the fourth.
And that’s when Waiters stepped up yet again, his driving layup tying it 110-110 with 3.6 seconds to play.
After a pair of timeouts, the ’Wolves could do no better than an errant KarlAnthony Towns jumper as the regulation buzzer sounded.