Guard Andrew Wiggins had a game-high 24 points as the Timberwolves, the only winless home team in the Western Conference, improved to 5-6 overall. The Timberwolves have the second-worst home record in the National Basketball Association (Philadelphia is 0-6), but the second-best road record in the early going (Golden State is 5-0). And in this specific case, Hassan Whiteside’s monstrous triple-double in the Miami Heat’s 103-91 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves is absent a crucial late-game chapter. (Whiteside was already the only active player to have a non-assist triple-double.) The 26-year-old big man added 22 points (10-of-14 FG) and 14 boards to complete the feat.
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It was a big night for comebacks. Minnesota snapped a 16-game losing streak without Rubio. Green is a good three-point shooter and the Heat have plans for him to be one of their main weapons off of the bench this season. Miami starting shooting guard Dwyane Wade, who missed one game for family reasons, had 10 points.
Miami got off to a good start, leading by as many as 10 points before settling for a 25-20 advantage after the first quarter.
Heat: Wade is within 38 points of tying Scottie Pippen (19,004) for 50th on the NBA’s all-time list….
The Timberwolves will try to pull out of a four-game skid when they visit the Heat on Tuesday.
NOTES: Minnesota PG Ricky Rubio (hamstring) returned to the lineup after missing four games….
Now, it’s up to coach Erik Spoelstra to figure out a way to put the 29-year-old binge scorer back into the bench rotation without messing up the winning chemistry that has developed.
Gerald Green is expected to make his return to the Miami Heat tonight against Minnesota after missing six games. Gerald Green (illness, then conduct detrimental to the team, then a two-game suspension) played for the first time since November 1.
Green was averaging 21.7 minutes per game before the incident and while he says that his conditioning is not where it was at the beginning of the season he does feel he is ready to play. Zion, who had an undisclosed ailment, was reportedly released from the hospital on Monday night….
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Point guard Goran Dragic was happily reunited with his wife Maja, 3-month-old daughter Viktoria and 2-year-old son Mateo on Sunday evening.
