Timberwolves 125, Heat 124: Minnesota's reserves edge Miami in a preseason finish
With regular starters resting on both sides, Bones Hyland and Zyon Pullin led Minnesota past a Heat team that got big nights from rookie Ryan Conwell.
Minnesota beat Miami 125-124 at Kaseya Center on Saturday night in a preseason game that looked like a sneak preview of two rosters' depth charts more than a contest between contenders. It was Miami's first loss of the preseason, after a 2-0 start.
The reserves take over
Both teams sat their regular starters, according to Sports Illustrated's coverage of the game, so the minutes went to players fighting for roster spots and rotation roles. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra started Tre Donaldson, Pelle Larsson, Simone Fontecchio, Nikola Jovic and Nick Richards, per Hot Hot Hoops.
For Minnesota, Bones Hyland scored 23 points with five three-pointers, four assists, four rebounds and three steals in 21 minutes, Sports Illustrated reported, and was described as the lone veteran to play. Zyon Pullin added 22 points, 12 of them in the fourth quarter, and got to the free-throw line eight times. Joan Beringer recorded four blocks in 24 minutes.
Miami's bright spots
The Heat lost, but several of their young players had useful nights. Rookie Ryan Conwell came off the bench for 22 points, nine assists and five rebounds. Vlad Goldin had 18 points and six rebounds in 23 minutes, Nikola Jovic scored 16 on 7-of-11 shooting with six rebounds and three steals, and Simone Fontecchio made four of seven from three for 14. Richards had seven points and ten rebounds.
What it means
A one-point preseason result tells you little about the standings, but the schedule gives it a small extra edge: Minnesota is Miami's regular-season opener, and the two teams were set to meet again in about ten days, as Hot Hot Hoops noted in suggesting the rest may have been strategic. Neither coach showed the other much of the real rotation.
The more lasting takeaways are individual. Conwell's playmaking numbers are the kind a rookie guard wants on his résumé before opening night, and Pullin's fourth-quarter scoring, with so many free throws, is a good sign for a player trying to earn minutes. Miami hosts the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.
The sources describe the end of the game only in outline; neither details the final possession, so Torch does not either.