Giannis' Heat Lose to LaMelo's Wolves in Debuts, Box Score Stats, Highlights for Ant, Bam & More

The Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball era in Minnesota is off to a good start.

Fueled by a dominant night from Edwards, the Timberwolves downed Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat 131-106 in their season opener on Wednesday as Ball made his debut after being traded by the Charlotte Hornets.

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK
Anthony Edwards, MIN	45	10	3	1	1
LaMelo Ball, MIN	21	2	6	2	0
Jaden McDaniels, MIN	17	8	0	4	0
Jonathan Kuminga, MIN	12	1	3	4	1
Rudy Gobert, MIN	5	15	1	0	0
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIA	35	6	1	1	0
Bam Adebayo, MIA	15	7	4	3	0
Klay Thompson, MIA	10	1	0	0	0
Andrew Wiggins, MIA	11	2	1	0	0
Davion Mitchell, MIA	11	0	10	0	1

While Ball and Antetokounmpo making their respective debuts with their new teams was the storyline coming into the night, Edwards quickly stole the show in Miami.

Edwards posted 21 points in the first half before finishing the third quarter with 36 to help the Timberwolves take an 18-point lead into the final quarter. His 45 points marked a franchise record for the most points in a season opener.

Ball also had a strong showing in his first game with Minnesota, quickly showing how well he can complement Edwards in the backcourt.

While Antetoukounmpo would've liked to start off his Heat tenure with a win, he still had a great showing in his debut. It wasn't quite enough on a night when his supporting cast didn't give him much.

The Timberwolves acquired Ball, hoping he'd give them enough to compete in a loaded Western Conference, and early on, it's fair to say Minnesota looks like it can contend for a championship.

If Edwards has another MVP-caliber season and continues to get strong support from his teammates, the sky is the limit for this Timberwolves team.

The Heat, meanwhile, clearly have some things to figure out. They can't count on Antetoukounmpo to do everything, so they'll go back to the drawing board to figure out how best to play around him.