Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Giannis’ Heat debut

LOS ANGELES — Minnesota star Anthony Edwards erupted for 45 points as the Timberwolves spoiled two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Miami Heat debut with a 131-106 triumph on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila). Edwards, teaming seamlessly with new arrival LaMelo Ball, added 10 rebounds and three assists. He had nine of the Timberwolves’ 21 three-pointers while Ball, who joined from Charlotte this season, drilled five treys on the way to 21 points. “At this point, me and him are gonna be like best friends,” Edwards told ESPN in an on-court interview before exchanging a beaming hug with Ball. Antetokounmpo, the former Bucks talisman who captured one championship and two Most Valuable Player awards in his 13-year tenure in Milwaukee, looked the part, connecting on 13 of 19 attempts from the floor on the way to 35 points with six rebounds. But the Heat as a whole — widely tipped as Eastern Conference contenders after landing Antetokounmpo — had no answer for the Timberwolves. “We’re going to have to step up our defense,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who added Miami’s offense “did not look like us.” The second night of the new season featured an array of familiar faces in new places. In Washington, Anthony Davis...