Edwards scores 32, Wolves rally from 17 down to beat Heat 112-108 and improve to 20-5
MIAMI (AP) Nobody in the Minnesota locker room was happy at halftime. Karl-Anthony Towns was in foul trouble, coach Chris Finch had just gotten a technical foul and the Timberwolves were facing their second-biggest midgame deficit of the season.
Then the defense showed up to save the day.
The Timberwolves are tied for the NBA's best record through 25 games, and defense - once again - was why. Anthony Edwards scored 32 points, Towns added 18 and Minnesota allowed only 42 points after the break on the way to beating the Miami Heat 112-108 on Monday night.
“It takes for us to get punched in the face to wake up and do the things that we need to do,” Minnesota center Rudy Gobert said. “Every time we do the things that we're supposed to do, especially defensively, we put ourselves in position to win the game.”
Naz Reid scored 15, Mike Conley added 12 and Gobert grabbed 16 rebounds for the Timberwolves. They improved to 20-5, tying idle Boston for the NBA’s best record - and won after trailing by as many as 17.
Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo returned from long injury absences and combined for 47 points for the Heat; Herro scored 25, Adebayo had 22. Jimmy Butler scored 15, Duncan Robinson 14 and Josh Richardson 13 for the Heat.
Herro returned after missing 18 games with a badly sprained right ankle. Adebayo was out for Miami’s most recent seven games with a bruised left hip.
“I felt good,” Herro said. “I tried to come and not force too much, just make the right play. That's the way the guys have been playing with me and Bam out. ... That's the way we should play anyway.”
It was Minnesota's league-leading seventh win after trailing by at least 10 points. It was also Miami's seventh loss after leading by double figures, four of those defeats coming at home.
The 20-5 start is Minnesota’s best through 25 games in franchise history; the 2001-02 Timberwolves started 17-8. Most Minnesota seasons - 21 of the previous 34 in franchise history - saw the team under the .500 mark at this point.
“It's all credit to the guys, their willingness to want to make it work,” Finch said.
Minnesota led for 20 seconds in the game's first 39 minutes - and that lead was only 4-2. Conley's 3-pointer with 8:37 remaining ended what essentially was three straight quarters of Minnesota trudging uphill, putting the Wolves up 87-84.
Miami settled for a 66-54 lead at the half, with Herro getting 17 points. It was the third-most points Minnesota - the NBA's best team so far in both points allowed per game and field-goal percentage allowed - had yielded by intermission this season and the Timberwolves' second-largest halftime deficit.
The defense that was missing in the first half showed up in the third quarter.
Miami managed only nine points in the first 8:04 of the second half, missing 10 of its 14 shots from the floor in that stretch and the game quickly got tight. The Wolves won the quarter 23-17, cutting the deficit in half going into the fourth and setting the tone to finish off the comeback.
“Look, they're the No. 1 defensive team in the league for a reason,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: Visit Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Heat: Visit Orlando on Wednesday.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Rudy Gobert vs. Bam Adebayo (Jimmy Butler gains possession) | ||
| 11:43 | | Caleb Martin misses two point jump shot | ||
| 11:40 |  | Karl-Anthony Towns defensive rebound | ||
| 11:31 | | Anthony Edwards turnover (bad pass) (Bam Adebayo steals) | ||
| 11:28 | | +2 | Bam Adebayo makes two point running alley-oop dunk (Caleb Martin assists) | 0-2 |
| 11:06 | | Jaden McDaniels misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 11:04 | | Kevin Love defensive rebound | ||
| 10:49 | | Jaden McDaniels blocks Bam Adebayo's two point driving layup | ||
| 10:47 | | Tyler Herro offensive rebound | ||
| 10:46 | | Rudy Gobert personal foul (Bam Adebayo draws the foul) | ||
| 10:42 | | Kevin Love misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:38 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 10:28 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 10:26 | | Tyler Herro defensive rebound | ||
| 10:18 | | Kevin Love misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:15 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 10:01 | | Jaden McDaniels misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 9:54 | | Jaden McDaniels offensive rebound | ||
| 9:54 | | Jaden McDaniels misses two point tip dunk | ||
| 9:54 | | Caleb Martin defensive rebound | ||
| 9:46 | | Bam Adebayo misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 9:44 | | Mike Conley defensive rebound | ||
| 9:33 | | +2 | Anthony Edwards makes two point driving layup (Mike Conley assists) | 2-2 |
| 9:21 | | Bam Adebayo misses two point jump shot | ||
| 9:17 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 9:14 | | +2 | Jaden McDaniels makes two point running layup | 4-2 |
| 8:56 | | Bam Adebayo misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 8:54 | | Jimmy Butler offensive rebound | ||
| 8:54 | | +2 | Tyler Herro makes two point floating jump shot (Jimmy Butler assists) | 4-4 |
| 8:40 | | Bam Adebayo personal foul (Karl-Anthony Towns draws the foul) | ||
| 8:30 | | Jaden McDaniels turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 8:19 | | Anthony Edwards blocks Jimmy Butler's two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:16 | | Jimmy Butler offensive rebound | ||
| 8:16 | | Jimmy Butler turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 8:09 | | Jaden McDaniels turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 7:46 | | +2 | Tyler Herro makes two point driving floating jump shot | 4-6 |
| 7:35 | | +2 | Rudy Gobert makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Mike Conley assists) | 6-6 |
| 7:24 | | +2 | Caleb Martin makes two point driving layup | 6-8 |
| 7:09 | | +2 | Jaden McDaniels makes two point cutting dunk (Rudy Gobert assists) | 8-8 |
| 6:57 | | +2 | Tyler Herro makes two point driving floating jump shot | 8-10 |
| 6:42 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point cutting layup (Mike Conley assists) | 10-10 |
| 6:34 | | Mike Conley personal foul (Bam Adebayo draws the foul) | ||
| 6:34 | | Heat 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:30 | | +2 | Jimmy Butler makes two point pullup jump shot (Bam Adebayo assists) | 10-12 |
| 6:12 | | Mike Conley turnover (bad pass) (Caleb Martin steals) | ||
| 6:00 | | +2 | Bam Adebayo makes two point driving layup (Kevin Love assists) | 10-14 |
| 6:00 | | Karl-Anthony Towns shooting foul (Bam Adebayo draws the foul) | ||
| 6:00 | | +1 | Bam Adebayo makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 10-15 |
| 5:44 | | Anthony Edwards misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:39 | | Jimmy Butler defensive rebound | ||
| 5:30 | | +2 | Bam Adebayo makes two point jump shot (Caleb Martin assists) | 10-17 |
| 5:15 | | Mike Conley turnover (bad pass) (Jaime Jaquez Jr. steals) | ||
| 5:13 | | Anthony Edwards personal foul (Jaime Jaquez Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 4:55 | | +2 | Tyler Herro makes two point driving floating jump shot (Kevin Love assists) | 10-19 |
| 4:42 | | Rudy Gobert turnover (bad pass) (Caleb Martin steals) | ||
| 4:39 | | Anthony Edwards blocks Tyler Herro's two point running layup | ||
| 4:39 | | Heat offensive rebound | ||
| 4:30 | | +3 | Kevin Love makes three point jump shot (Tyler Herro assists) | 10-22 |
| 4:14 | | Naz Reid misses two point driving layup | ||
| 4:11 | | Rudy Gobert offensive rebound | ||
| 4:09 | | Rudy Gobert misses two point hook shot | ||
| 4:07 | | Jaden McDaniels offensive rebound | ||
| 4:05 | | +2 | Jaden McDaniels makes two point putback layup | 12-22 |
| 3:59 | | Tyler Herro misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 3:54 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 3:42 | | Naz Reid turnover (bad pass) (Tyler Herro steals) | ||
| 3:40 | | Jaden McDaniels personal foul (Tyler Herro draws the foul) | ||
| 3:40 | | +1 | Tyler Herro makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 12-23 |
| 3:40 | | +1 | Tyler Herro makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 12-24 |
| 3:23 | | +2 | Kyle Anderson makes two point driving floating jump shot (Anthony Edwards assists) | 14-24 |
| 2:59 | | +3 | Jimmy Butler makes three point jump shot (Josh Richardson assists) | 14-27 |
| 2:40 | | +2 | Anthony Edwards makes two point driving layup (Kyle Anderson assists) | 16-27 |
| 2:17 | | Kevin Love misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:13 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 2:03 | | Kevin Love shooting foul (Naz Reid draws the foul) | ||
| 2:03 | | Timberwolves 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:03 | | +1 | Naz Reid makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 17-27 |
| 2:03 | | +1 | Naz Reid makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 18-27 |
| 1:49 | | Bam Adebayo turnover (bad pass) (Naz Reid steals) | ||
| 1:43 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point running finger roll layup (Kyle Anderson assists) | 20-27 |
| 1:26 | | +2 | Jimmy Butler makes two point driving layup | 20-29 |
| 1:26 | | Karl-Anthony Towns shooting foul (Jimmy Butler draws the foul) | ||
| 1:26 | | +1 | Jimmy Butler makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 20-30 |
| 1:05 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 1:01 | | Karl-Anthony Towns offensive rebound | ||
| 1:00 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. blocks Karl-Anthony Towns's two point layup | ||
| 1:00 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker offensive rebound | ||
| 0:59 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. blocks Nickeil Alexander-Walker's two point driving layup | ||
| 0:58 | | Josh Richardson defensive rebound | ||
| 0:51 | | +2 | Josh Richardson makes two point running finger roll layup | 20-32 |
| 0:38 | | Naz Reid misses two point hook shot | ||
| 0:37 | | Jimmy Butler defensive rebound | ||
| 0:37 | | Naz Reid personal foul (Jimmy Butler draws the foul) | ||
| 0:37 | | Jimmy Butler misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 0:37 | | Heat offensive rebound | ||
| 0:37 | | +1 | Jimmy Butler makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 20-33 |
| 0:30 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:26 | | Troy Brown Jr. kicked ball violation | ||
| 0:27 | | Heat defensive rebound | ||
| 0:27 | | Troy Brown Jr. kicked ball violation | ||
| 0:20 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker kicked ball violation | ||
| 0:14 | | Josh Richardson turnover (traveling) | ||
| 0:01 | | +2 | Naz Reid makes two point cutting layup (Nickeil Alexander-Walker assists) | 22-33 |
| 0:00 | | Josh Richardson misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Heat offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:59 | | Haywood Highsmith personal foul (Kyle Anderson draws the foul) | ||
| 11:48 | | Karl-Anthony Towns misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:45 | | Duncan Robinson defensive rebound | ||
| 11:42 | | Duncan Robinson misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 11:36 | | Troy Brown Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 11:28 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. personal foul (Karl-Anthony Towns draws the foul) | ||
| 11:23 | | Naz Reid misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:20 | | Karl-Anthony Towns offensive rebound | ||
| 11:17 | | Nickeil Alexander-Walker misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:13 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 11:06 | | +2 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes two point turnaround hook shot | 22-35 |
| 10:49 | | Bam Adebayo personal foul (Naz Reid draws the foul) | ||
| 10:36 | | +3 | Troy Brown Jr. makes three point jump shot (Kyle Anderson assists) | 25-35 |
| 10:16 | | +2 | Bam Adebayo makes two point alley-oop dunk (Duncan Robinson assists) | 25-37 |
| 10:10 | | Duncan Robinson shooting foul (Kyle Anderson draws the foul) | ||
| 10:10 | | Kyle Anderson misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 10:10 | | Timberwolves offensive rebound | ||
| 10:10 | | +1 | Kyle Anderson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 26-37 |
| 10:01 | | Naz Reid shooting foul (Jaime Jaquez Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 10:01 | | +1 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 26-38 |
| 10:01 | | +1 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 26-39 |
| 9:46 | | +2 | Kyle Anderson makes two point driving finger roll layup (Troy Brown Jr. assists) | 28-39 |
| 9:33 | | +3 | Duncan Robinson makes three point jump shot (Bam Adebayo assists) | 28-42 |
| 9:21 | | Troy Brown Jr. turnover (bad pass) (Duncan Robinson steals) | ||
| 9:10 | | +3 | Duncan Robinson makes three point jump shot (Haywood Highsmith assists) | 28-45 |
| 9:09 | | Timberwolves 60 second timeout | ||
| 9:04 | | Jaden McDaniels turnover (bad pass) (Haywood Highsmith steals) | ||
| 8:55 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. turnover (bad pass) (Karl-Anthony Towns steals) | ||
| 8:50 | | +2 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes two point running dunk (Jaden McDaniels assists) | 30-45 |
| 8:50 | | Josh Richardson shooting foul (Karl-Anthony Towns draws the foul) | ||
| 8:50 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 31-45 |
| 8:36 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. turnover (bad pass) (Rudy Gobert steals) | ||
| 8:15 | | Haywood Highsmith blocks Karl-Anthony Towns's two point driving layup | ||
| 8:15 | | Karl-Anthony Towns offensive rebound | ||
| 8:15 | | Haywood Highsmith shooting foul (Karl-Anthony Towns draws the foul) | ||
| 8:15 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 32-45 |
| 8:15 | | +1 | Karl-Anthony Towns makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 33-45 |
| 8:03 | | Duncan Robinson turnover (bad pass) (Mike Conley steals) | ||
| 7:59 | | +2 | Jaden McDaniels makes two point running finger roll layup (Mike Conley assists) | 35-45 |
| 7:58 | | Heat 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:45 | | Duncan Robinson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:42 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 7:29 | | Anthony Edwards misses two point driving floating jump shot |