Note: The thoughts expressed in this recap are based on the HEAT radio broadcast since the game was not televised.
The Miami HEAT fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves 101-96 Saturday night at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Rodney McGruder led the way for the HEAT with 15 points.
Based on the broadcast, it seemed as though Miami continued to swing the ball from side-to-side like on Friday night against the Spurs.
After the Timberwolves jumped out to a 27-21 lead after one on Saturday, it was time for Briante Weber to go to work. The speedy point guard led the charge in a 10-4 run at the start of the second quarter, as he made some nice plays on both ends. In fact, he stole the ball from Kris Dunn twice in less than a minute of game time. On the flip side of the ball, Weber scored four points and set up Wayne Ellington for a three during the run.
Speaking of Ellington, the sharpshooter drilled three treys against Minnesota in the first half alone. Ellington finished the game with 14 points and four steals. Both he and Rodney McGruder lit it up from deep, as they combined to shoot 7-of-10 from beyond the arc before halftime. Thanks to the duo's hot shooting, Miami entered the break up 58-51.
The HEAT displayed good ball movement in the first half, as the team tallied 15 assists on 22 made field goals and shot 10-of-16 from downtown through the first two quarters.
The Timberwolves came back with a vengeance in the third quarter and kicked off the period with a 16-4 run. However, Miami responded pretty well and started to get to the free-throw line a bit more as the quarter progressed.
Despite being down in the fourth, the HEAT continued to fight. After that nice run in the second quarter, Weber continued to attack and create for his teammates in the second half. However, his best play, of course, came on the defensive end.
Late in the fourth quarter, the former VCU product swiped the ball from Cole Aldrich, brought it down court and found Keith Benson to cut Minnesota's lead to 99-96. Unfortunately, it just wasn't enough in the end.
Weber finished the game with eight points, a team-high six assists, four steals and two rebounds. Benson, meanwhile, tallied 14 points and seven boards in 22 minutes of action.
Game Notes:
-Willie Reed also came to play in his first start of the preseason. The 26-year-old center played stout defense and was very active on the glass. Early on in the contest, he swatted Karl-Anthony Towns and drew a charge on Shabazz Muhammad. In all, Reed led the team with 13 rebounds (four offensive) to go along with seven points and his aforementioned block.
-Luke Babbitt (groin strain), Josh McRoberts (right foot), Josh Richardson (sprained right MCL), Okaro White (sprained left ankle), Goran Dragic (rest), Udonis Haslem (rest), Tyler Johnson (rest) and Hassan Whiteside (rest) all sat out.
