Timberwolves snap Heat’s 4-game winning streak

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MIAMI (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 33 points, Naz Reid had 20 of his 29 in the second half and the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Miami 125-115 on Saturday night and snap the Heat’s four-game winning streak.

Julius Randle finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota, which outscored Miami 19-4 in the opening 4 1/2 minutes of the final quarter to turn a four-point lead into a 109-90 edge. Rudy Gobert added 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves.

Norman Powell scored 21 for the Heat, who are 3-5 in their last eight home games. Davion Mitchell and Nikola Jovic added 14 for Miami, while Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins each had 12.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) looks for an opening past Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Edwards had 20 points in the first half, making this the fourth game this season — and second in a row — where he had that many by intermission. The last time he had 20 by halftime in two straight games was Feb. 13-16, 2023.

The Heat saw Powell leave with 6:11 left in the first quarter with right leg soreness; he returned midway through the second quarter around the time Jaime Jaquez Jr. left after stepping on Randle’s foot while playing defense and spraining his right ankle.

Jaquez did not return.

Minnesota had dropped three of its last four games coming into Saturday, including perhaps the Timberwolves’ most frustrating loss of the season — a 126-102 defeat on Wednesday in Atlanta.

The Wolves responded well to the adversity with a renewed commitment to details from the opening tip Saturday.

“That was exactly what we needed against a really good team that’s been playing very well with a style of play that’s really hard to guard,” Wolves coach Chris Finch told reporters. “I thought our gameplan discipline in the beginning of the game set the tone for us for the game. You could tell when that happens how mentally we’re ready to play and locked in and focused.”

Finch said Donte DiVincenzo set the tone on that front, citing his defensive work against Powell in the game’s opening minutes. Minnesota won DiVincenzo’s minutes by 24 points.

Naz Reid scored 29 points, burying four triples to go with two blocked shots off the bench.

“Naz was great. Kept finding space,” Finch said. “We did a good job of finding him, took advantage of mismatches, finished well in and around the paint. Played a really complete game out there, too. He was really good.”

The Wolves improved to 15-1 this season when holding opponents to 112 points or less. Minnesota shot 54%; the Heat fell to 2-8 when allowing opponents to shoot 50% or better.

Up next for the Wolves is a 5 p.m. tip-off Sunday evening at the Washington Wizards.

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