NBA

Miami Heat at Minnesota Timberwolves

· National Basketball Association
4-5, 3-2 Away
Final
95 - 94

Heat edge Timberwolves 95-94 on Nikola Jovic's layup-and-1 with 7.8 seconds left

Heat outlast Wolves in wild back-and-forth finish

Jovic, who had 15 points and seven rebounds in his first game off the bench this season, drove to the rim with four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert subbed out. Jovic went to the line to give the Heat their first lead since 63-61.

Mike Conley's 3-point attempt at the buzzer was short and finished another harried possession by the Timberwolves, whose three-game winning streak ended. Jaden McDaniels gave them the lead with a putback of Conley's miss with nine seconds left.

Tyler Herro had 26 points for the Heat, who played Jimmy Butler.

Anthony Edwards scored 22 points on 8-for-24 shooting for the Wolves, who trailed by 12 points after a 3-for-15 start from 3-point range. They closed the gap to 52-51 at the break with their only solid stretch on offense.

Takeaways Heat: Overcoming 23 turnovers with 14 steals and nine blocks, all season highs, the Heat made Minnesota's offense just as much of a mess as theirs. Jaime Jaquez Jr. (illness) returned from a three-game absence.

Timberwolves: Twenty turnovers and rough shooting was stemmed a bit by a season-best 16 offensive rebounds, six by Gobert.

Key moment Naz Reid, who went 4 for 7 from deep, hit a 3-pointer late in the third quarter to put the Timberwolves up 64-63 for their first lead since 10-9. That came midway through a 15-0 run.

Key stat Herro set a career best with his 39th consecutive game, including the playoffs, with double-digit points. The streak started on Jan. 8.

Up next Miami plays at Detroit on Tuesday. Minnesota plays at Portland on Tuesday and stays there for a second game on Wednesday.

Regular Season Series

MIA leads series 1-0

Matchup Prediction

Timberwolves: 71.9%
Heat: 28.1%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Recent Plays

4th 0.0 End of Game 95 - 94
4th 0.0 End of the 4th Quarter 95 - 94
4th 0.0 Bam Adebayo defensive rebound 95 - 94
4th 2.1 Mike Conley misses 22-foot three point jumper 95 - 94
4th 3.1 Tyler Herro personal foul 95 - 94

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/mia.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originMIA https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/min.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originMIN
34-77 FG 35-88
44.2 Field Goal % 39.8
11-31 3PT 13-45
35.5 Three Point % 28.9
16-22 FT 11-13
72.7 Free Throw % 84.6
43 Rebounds 47
6 Offensive Rebounds 16
37 Defensive Rebounds 31
18 Assists 22
14 Steals 13
9 Blocks 5
22 Turnovers 19
1 Team Turnovers 1
23 Total Turnovers 20
1 Technical Fouls 0
1 Total Technical Fouls 0
0 Flagrant Fouls 0
20 Points Conceded Off Turnovers 23
26 Fast Break Points 4
44 Points in Paint 42
20 Fouls 20
12 Largest Lead 8

Game Information

Target Center

Location: Minneapolis, MN
Attendance: 18,978 · Capacity:

2024-25 Southeast Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Orlando 11 7 .611 - W2
Miami 6 7 .462 2.5 W1
Atlanta 7 10 .412 3.5 L2
Charlotte 6 10 .375 4 L1
Washington 2 12 .143 7 L10

2024-25 Northwest Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Oklahoma City - 4 W1 0.75 12
Denver 2.5 6 W1 0.6 9
Minnesota 3.5 7 L1 0.53333336 8
Portland 5.5 10 W1 0.4117647 7
Utah 8 12 W1 0.25 4
Full Standings

NBA News

Victor Wembanyama shows rust early, rallies Spurs in return

Victor Wembanyama shows rust early, rallies Spurs in return

Victor Wembanyama started slow in his return but finished with a game-high 25 points to rally the Spurs from 17 points down to defeat the Warriors on Saturday.

DeAndre Jordan's steal sets up Christian Braun's slam

DeAndre Jordan's steal sets up Christian Braun's slam

DeAndre Jordan's steal sets up Christian Braun's slam.

Pippen Jr. delivers with 'phenomenal' game in dad's old stomping grounds

Pippen Jr. delivers with 'phenomenal' game in dad's old stomping grounds

Scotty Pippen Jr. already had plenty of fond memories of watching his Hall of Fame father at the United Center. Pippen, son of former Bulls great Scottie, had a career night to lead the Grizzlies past the Bulls, 142-131.

Wembanyama returns from three-game absence to help Spurs rally past Warriors, 104-94

Wembanyama returns from three-game absence to help Spurs rally past Warriors, 104-94

— Victor Wembanyama scored 25 points, Harrison Barnes had 22 and the San Antonio Spurs overcame a 17-point third-quarter deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors 104-94 on Saturday night.

LaMelo Ball explodes for career-best 50, but Hornets fall

LaMelo Ball explodes for career-best 50, but Hornets fall

At 23, LaMelo Ball became the third-youngest player in NBA history with 50 points and 10 assists in a game, but it wasn't enough as the Bucks won 125-119.