​The Giannis Antetokounmpo era with the Miami Heat has begun with a loss.In his first game with his new team after being traded from the Bucks in the offseason, Antetokounmpo and the Heat opened the season with a 131-106 blowout loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, not exactly the result fans would’ve wanted as their new star debuted. Miami’s problem in the loss wasn’t its new forward. He finished with a team-high 35 points, six rebounds, and an assist. The problem was the nonexistent backcourt defense. The Heat had no answer for Anthony Edwards, who finished with 45 points, and his backcourt mate, LaMelo Ball, who had 21. Edwards made league history in the dominant win. The Minnesota guard became just the third player in NBA history to have multiple 40-point season openers, joining Wilt Chamberlain (4) and Michael Jordan (3). Edwards had 41 in Minnesota’s season-opening win against the Portland Trail Blazers last year. Not bad company for Ant 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/6VSdJFME2F— ESPN (@espn) October 22, 2026Edwards and Ball dominated from beyond the arc, hitting 14 of 30 combined attempts, while Miami, as a team, made just 8 of 32. Edwards’ nine 3-pointers set a franchise record for a Minnesota season opener. Antetokounmpo somehow went from half court to a dunk without the ball touching the ground. Giannis OMG pic.twitter.com/UCeEtQquyQ— MAL (@MindOfBron) October 22, 2026Antetokounmpo made sure to show off the handles against Rudy Gobert. GIANNIS PUTTING THE MOVES ON GOBERTLOOKING LIKE MAGIC JOHNSON pic.twitter.com/h22hZsb9bl— The HEAT Realm (@WadexFlash) October 22, 2026While Antetokounmpo has a height advantage over Anthony Edwards, the two had a fun second-quarter sequence: the guard drained a three, and the Heat forward followed with an emphatic dunk, accompanied by some trash talk. Antetokounmpo and Edwards each had 21 points in the first half. Ant and Giannis go back and forth 😤Anthony Edwards: 21 PTSGiannis Antetokounmpo: 21 PTSWolves lead at the break! pic.twitter.com/VAL8Bq12Uq— NBA (@NBA) October 22, 2026Edwards spent most of the game giving the Heat a piece of his mind, and he backed up his talk with his performance. The Miami forward showed off impressive body control, somehow avoiding a travel and still getting the delayed layup to fall to set up an and-one. Edwards put on an absolute clinic in his season debut, setting the tone for Minnesota going forward. Edwards was lights out from beyond the arc, making more 3-pointers (9) himself than Miami did as a team (8). Antetokounmpo began his career with the Milwaukee Bucks, who selected him with the 15th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. After 13 seasons in Milwaukee, including an NBA championship in 2021, the two-time MVP and the Bucks disagreed over his contract, and he requested a trade.Antetokounmpo finally got the trade he wanted this past summer as the Milwaukee Bucks sent him and Bobby Portis to Miami for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakuči