Individually, Giannis Antetokounmpo had a remarkable debut for the Miami Heat, pouring in 35 points on Wednesday night. As far as team success is concerned, however, Antetokounmpo and his new running mates couldn’t get the job done as the Minnesota Timberwolves came away with a convincing 131-106 win.

On social media, fans trolled Antetokounmpo after the Heat dropped their season opener.

“Bro left the Bucks only to join Bucks 2.0,” one fan tweeted.

In addition to leading his team in scoring, Antetokounmpo put up six rebounds, one assist, and one steal in his first regular-season game as a Heat player.

On offense, the Heat gave a good account of themselves, hitting 48.1% of their field-goal attempts and getting all five starters in double-digit scoring. Miami struggled on the defensive end, allowing the Timberwolves to shoot 46.9% from the field and 42.0% from beyond the arc.

The newly formed tandem of Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball jelled instantly in the first quarter, hitting threes and dishing out assists to get Minnesota’s offense humming. Edwards finished with 45 points and 10 rebounds while Ball had 21 points and six assists.

“Your Spirit Gets Defeated”: Giannis Antetokounmpo Gives Props to Anthony Edwards After 40-Piece in Season Debut

In the post-game media availability, Giannis Antetokounmpo had some kind words for Anthony Edwards.

According to Antetokounmpo, the explosive Timberwolves guard made impactful plays throughout the game. (via Heat Central’s X)

“They have two players that can make shots that’s gonna, like…how do you say it, your spirit gets defeated. At the end of the day, you need to play through that…I feel we didn’t make it as tough as possible for him. There were times we did and he still made it.”

Antetokounmpo added that he felt that the Heat got “discouraged” when Edwards made big shots on this night.

The Heat players will certainly be thinking about their defensive performance as they prepare for their home game against the Detroit Pistons on Friday.

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