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National Basketball Association
Miami 113, Minnesota 110
When: 7:30 PM ET, Monday, December 26, 2022
Where: Miami-Dade Arena, Miami, Florida
Officials: #60 James Williams, #51 Aaron Smith, #12 CJ Washington
Attendance: 19911

Miami's defense forced 22 turnovers, the last coming on Kyle Lowry's steal in the closing seconds, and the host Heat held off the Minnesota Timberwolves, 113-110, on Monday.

Playing without stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, Miami relied on its aggressive defense and complemented it with a balanced offense that proved to be enough to overcome a lackluster shooting night.

The Heat went just 47 of 102 from the floor, including 13 of 49 from 3-point range, but nine players scored between seven and 19 points.

Max Strus led the way with 19 points, including 5-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. Strus was one of five Miami players to score in double figures. Lowry finished with 18 points and a game-high nine assists.

Tyler Herro added 14 points despite going ice-cold from 3-point territory at 0 of 8 for the game. Reserves Orlando Robinson and Gabe Vincent provided 15 and 11 points, respectively, powering Miami to a 45-32 advantage in bench points, despite a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds from Timberwolves reserve Naz Reid.

The Heat also had a 64-52 edge for points in the paint.

Anthony Edwards led all scorers with 29 points. Edwards, however, committed eight of Minnesota's 22 turnovers, the last of which came on the Wolves' final opportunity when D'Angelo Russell lost the ball and Lowry came up with it to deny Minnesota a look at a potential overtime-forcing 3-pointer.

Minnesota shot 15 of 34 from deep and was better than 54 percent from the floor overall at 43 of 79, but the giveaways resulting in 23 fewer field-goal attempts ultimately doomed the Timberwolves.

Duncan Robinson and Nikola Jovic each scored nine points for the Heat, Caleb Martin went for eight points and eight rebounds and Victor Oladipo added seven points.

Jaden McDaniels scored 16 points, Russell finished with 13 points and dished eight assists and both Rudy Gobert and Austin Rivers scored 10 points in the loss.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Minnesota   Miami
Anthony Edwards 29 Scoring Max Strus 19
D'Angelo Russell 8 Assists Kyle Lowry 9
Naz Reid 11 Rebounds Orlando Robinson 9
Naz Reid 4 Free Throws Made Victor Oladipo 3
Anthony Edwards 2 Steals Tyler Herro 3
Anthony Edwards 1 Blocks Haywood Highsmith 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Minnesota 110 54.4 15-34 9-14 31 44 3 4 22
Miami 113 46.1 13-49 6-8 27 40 3 9 10
Upcoming Games
  • Miami will play their next game at home against L.A. Lakers. The Heat have a W/L % of .471 after a win and .529 after a loss.
  • Minnesota will play their next game on the road against New Orleans. The Timberwolves have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .444 after a loss.