SportyTV | NBA: Edwards' monster night overshadows Antetokounmpo's Heat debut

Anthony Edwards made nine 3-pointers and scored 45 points, LaMelo Ball scored 21 in his team debut, and the Minnesota Timberwolves routed the Miami Heat 131-106 on Wednesday night to spoil Giannis Antetokounmpo's first game with his new club.

Edwards, who scored 41 in Minnesota's first game last season, joined Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan as the only players with at least 40 points in multiple season openers.

Edwards finished 16 of 19 from the field and 9 for 17 from 3-point range while adding 10 rebounds.

Ball sank five 3-pointers as the Timberwolves combined to shoot 21 of 50 from deep.

Jaden McDaniels scored 17, Ayo Dosunmu had 16 and Jonathan Kuminga added 12 for the Timberwolves. Rudy Gobert went 0 for 2 from the field but grabbed 15 rebounds as Minnesota won the battle on the board 52-34.

Antetokounmpo scored 21 points in the first half and ended with 35 after fouling out of his Heat debut. Bam Adebayo had 15 points and seven rebounds for Miami.

Minnesota opened the game with a 23-7 run that spanned halftime, turning a one-point lead in the second quarter into a 78-61 edge.

HAVE A NIGHT, Æ https://t.co/VBqRpMvkyJ
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) October 22, 2026

Davis stars in winning Wizards debut

Anthony Davis had 34 points and 12 rebounds in his debut with Washington, and the new-look Wizards beat the Milwaukee Bucks 128-116 in the season opener for both teams.

The teams appear headed in opposite directions. Washington acquired Davis and Trae Young last season and then drafted AJ Dybantsa No. 1 overall. Milwaukee traded away franchise cornerstone Giannis Antetokounmpo in the offseason.

Still, the Bucks led the Wizards for much of this game before Washington began to take control early in the fourth.

Dybantsa didn't play because of an ankle injury, but Davis did enough to excite the Washington crowd. The star big man was injured when the Wizards acquired him and didn't play for Washington last season.

Fans serenaded Davis with an “MVP” chant before the first quarter was even over. The mood shifted, however, as the Wizards missed 18 of their first 22 attempts from 3-point range and trailed the Bucks well into the second half.

A dunk by Deandre Ayton gave the Wizards a 97-96 lead early in the fourth during a 21-4 run to take a 111-98 advantage with 7:26 to play.

Young finished with 20 points and 13 assists.

Tyler Herro scored 24 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 22 for the Bucks. Both went to Milwaukee in the deal that sent Antetokounmpo to Miami.

Team dub https://t.co/spYUrB82Wj
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) October 22, 2026

Haliburton makes emotional return

Tyrese Haliburton needed the towel draped around his neck to dry the tears streaming down his cheeks.

More than 16 months after rupturing his right Achilles tendon, the Indiana Pacers two-time All-Star guard had come back and controlled his team's season opener, removing any doubts he might have had about his physical and emotional stamina.

Haliburton scored 13 of his 23 points in the final quarter and handed out 12 assists in the Pacers’ 123-120 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Haliburton tore his Achilles during Game 7 of the NBA Finals against Oklahoma City in June 2025 and missed the entire 2025-26 season. He averaged 18.6 points and 9.2 assists, shooting 47.3% from the field and 38.8% from 3-point range in his last full season.

He made three 3-pointers in just seven minutes in that Game 7 before his injury.

All that was a distant memory as he stepped on the court Wednesday in his first real action since the injury. The tears flowed when he did a courtside interview with Jeremiah Johnson, the sideline reporter for the Pacers’ postgame show.

With the game tied at 116, Haliburton drove past Trey Murphy for a layup, and the next time downcourt, he did the same thing to the Pelicans’ defensive specialist, Herb Jones, for a layup and three-point play.