Miami Falls to Timberwolves in Battle of the Backups

The Miami Heat fell tonight to the Minnesota Timberwolves 125 to 124 in the battle of the backups. The starters for both teams sat this one out. The backups took center stage in a hotly contested match up. It may not mean much to fans but tonight mean’t a lot for the bottom of the roster guys. I have your five take aways from tonight action.

Starting lineup

Tre Donaldson- Tre started the game running the show and you could see how decisive he is in getting to his spots and moving the basketball. I think he acquitted himself will that he can run a team in a pinch. He didn’t play well in terms of shooting the ball and stats but the coaches will look beyond that

Pelle Larrson — Oct 3, 2026; Quebec City, Quebec, CAN; Miami Heat guard Pelle Larsson (9) dribbles the ball against the Toronto Raptors during the first quarter at Videotron Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pelle Larsson- He handled the ball a lot and it looked like I expected. He doesn’t create a lot of separation but draws a ton of fouls.

He only played 24:54 minutes tonight and left with an illness but still racked up 7 free throws. It is going to be tough sledding for that second unit in the regular season unless you stagger the minutes and always have Davion or Giannis on the floor.

Simone Fontecchio- He played his role which was to knock down three’s, and he did that tonight shooting 57.1% from deep on 7 attempts.

Niko Jovic – Confidence building game for Niko. He got downhill often and finished through the rim instead of fading away from it. He finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.

The thing that stood out even more than his insane shooting percentages against 2nd and 3rd string guys was the fact he had two bad defensive reps in a row but didn’t let that effect his confidence. He went right to the basket for a tough and-1 bucket.

Nick Richards- Miami finally has good big man depth off the bench. Nick is solid back-up who will block shots and rebound and that is exactly what you need.

THE ROOKIE

Ryan Conwell has struggled to acclimate himself to the NBA game but tonight may be worth noting as when the light bulb came on. He started the game shooting poorly but stuck with it and caught fire down the stretch. He put Miami on his back and started to let it fly.

The most notable shot was self-created in crunch time fading away in the mid-range over the defense for a tough bucket. The most notable shot to me is him sprinting full speed into the corner for a catch and shoot three. That is more of what his role will be long term for the Heat.

He finished with 22 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists with 0 turnovers. If he facilitates like that, he will earn rotation minutes at some point especially if the second unit has trouble creating in the regular season.

OTHER NOTABLES

Ian Scheffeilin — Oct 8, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Ian Schieffelin (20) celebrates with guard Tre Donaldson (24) against the New Orleans Pelicans during the fourth quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ian Schieffelin may not beat out Vlad Goldin for the two way spot this year but he has earned a spot in Sioux falls this season and should get a legit shot to unseat him in 2027. He was the tied for 2nd on the team in rebounds tonight with 7. He probably led the team in deflections. He does a little bit of everything including stretch the floor shooting 66.7% from deep tonight on 3 attempts.

Vlad Goldin had his best game as a pro tonight scoring 18 points, snagging 6 rebounds and dished out 2 assists. His biggest basket came at the end of the game as an and 1 put back layup to give the Heat the lead late against fellow young big Rocco Zikarsky of the Timberwolves.

Myron Gardner will have an opportunity to crack the rotation this season. He is just an absolute menace and brings the energy every night. His three ball is smooth and compact, hitting 3 out of 6 tonight.

You don’t want Myron Handling the ball but dished out 5 assists and pulled down 7 rebounds.

Bez Mbeng is a guy you want in Sioux Falls. He isn’t going to make the roster but a nice project for later.

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