Miami Heat trounce Minnesota Timberwolves in a lopsided contest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, who have not been able to turn the tables on Miami in the last three encounters between the two franchises, were hoping for a positive result this time around. The contest though, proved to be a mismatch
as the Minnesota defence froze against a red hot Miami offense to slump down at 1-3 for the season. Dwyane Wade, who has been scoring at an average of 21.5 points per game this season, let it rip again to score 26 points leading the Heat to an emphatic victory
over a struggling Minnesota Timberwolves.
The match started with both teams maintaining parity in the starting moments. The Timberwolves were trying to match the Heats’ offense on the back of Michael Beasley and Kevin Love. The duo rose to the occasion to score 16 of the
27 Minnesota points in the first quarter, to keep the Heats’ progress in check at 33-27 at the end of the quarter.
The second quarter started with the Timberwolves netting four points in the first 40 seconds to make it a 2 point game at 33-31, but the Heats bounced right back and sprinted to 10-0 run in the next three minutes. As the Heats
started to run away with the game, the Timberwolves suffered a huge setback. Michael Beasley, who was traded by Miami to the Timberwolves in the off season, fell awkwardly on the floor suffering a left thigh contusion. With the former Miami star out of the
game for the Timberwolves, their chances of halting Miami’s charge faded.
The Heats finished the first half with an advantage of 16 points at 69-53. James Jones was in the groove in the second quarter as he slipped in four three-pointers to set Miami on course to a fourth consecutive victory. Miami really
put the foot on the pedal after the break as the Memphis defence faltered against a rampaging Heats offense. The Heats routed the Timberwolves 22-6 in the first eight minutes of the third quarter and raced to 28-point lead going into the fourth period.
Jones netted another 3-pointer at the start of the fourth as the Heats continued to increase their momentum. The match ultimately ended with the Heats easing past the Timberwolves by a whopping margin of 32 points at 129-97.
Dwyane Wade was the star of the show for Miami. He came at the Timberwolves hard upfront and scored 22 of his 26 points in the first half. With Wade leading the attack, LeBron James settled nicely in the defence. James had a match
high 12 assists and also complemented that with 20 points of his own. With clear signs that James is gelling well in his new team, an elated Miami Coach Erik Spoelstra was all praise for his superstar. “What I saw out of LeBron was a high IQ game. He managed
and dissected the game with his mind. He wasn't 100 percent and was able to make plays and really set up guys with wide open shots." Chris Bosh also scored 13 points as the ‘Big Three’ combined to score 59 points. Jones also continued to impress this season
he nailed 6 three-pointers in the total of 17 points.
For the Timberwolves, their defence stalled with the departure of Beasley. Kevin Love led their charge scoring 20 points. Besides the duo, three other players got into the double figures but the effort was meaningless in front
of a formidable Miami team who bulldozed their way to victory.
The Miami Heat outfit never gave a sniff to Timberwolves in a match that witnessed six Miami players reaching double figures. The Heats took the lead early in the first quarter and never looked back from there on, to start a demolition
in which they outscored their opponents in every quarter.
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