Welcome to 2026 Canis Hoopus nation.
After a horrendous loss to the Atlanta Hawks on New Year’s Eve that brought into question where this team is heading, the Minnesota Timberwolves took on the Miami Heat
on Saturday looking to turn their season back in the right direction.
Unlike many of their previous games, the Wolves got off to a good start. Minnesota started the game going up 19-9 with Rudy Gobert scoring the first six points of the game and Anthony Edwards putting in 11 during the run. It was a night and day difference in terms of both effort and intensity compared to the previous game in Atlanta.
The Wolves eventually gave that lead up, but instead of digging a deeper hole, they recovered to take a six-point leading heading into halftime.
A potential turning point came in the third quarter when Gobert picked up three quick fouls, putting him at four for the game, and forcing him to the bench for the remainder of the quarter. The Wolves have struggled defensively without Gobert on the court this season, but were able to win the final 7:29 of the third quarter by two points without Rudy as Naz Reid stepped up in his place.
With Gobert back on the floor to start the fourt quarter, the Wolves put the hammer down. Rudy started the scoring with five quick points. Donte DiVicenzo and Bones Hyland scored the next six points, as they ended up leading the team in plus-minus with +24 and +16 respectavely.
Naz Reid also had five points during the run including a beautiful and-1 drive after pump-faking out of a 3-pointer. After the dust settled, the Minnesota run totaled 19-4 to put themselves up by 19 points.
The Wolves desperately needed a strong performance today on South Beach and got exactly that. Despite some late turnovers, the Timberwolves took down the Heat 125-115 for their first win of 2026. Anthony Edwards led the way with 33 points and five assists with Julius Randle having a nice bounce-back game with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
It’s just one game, but it’s the type of performance that can garner positivity about what the Timberwolves can do moving forward. It’s on them now to capitalize on that.
This story will be updated throughout the night after coach and player media availabilities.
Up Next
The Timberwolves now head to the nation’s capital to complete their season-long four-game road trip against the Washington Wizards. The game tomorrow is the team’s first back-to-back since November 29-30. The game begins at 5:00 PM CT, airing on FanDuel Sports Network and NBA TV.
