Last season: 43-39, lost to Charlotte in play-in tournament elimination game.
COACH: Erik Spoelstra (19th season, 830-611).
SEASON OPENER: Oct. 21 vs. Minnesota.
DEPARTURES: G Tyler Herro, C Kel'el Ware, F Jaime Jaquez Jr., G-F Norman Powell, G Kasparas Jakučionis, G Terry Rozier.
ADDITIONS: F Giannis Antetokounmpo, G-F Klay Thompson, F-C Bobby Portis Jr., G Tim Hardaway Jr., C Nick Richards, G Ryan Conwell, G Tre Donaldson.
The Heat had the NBA's No. 2 scoring offense last season and now have perennial MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo in the mix, along with sharpshooters like Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr. — all to pair up with Bam Adebayo, who had an 83-point game last season in the second-greatest scoring performance in NBA history. They'll play fast, and they come into this season fully expecting to contend in a loaded Eastern Conference.
The good: Antetokounmpo — who could sign an extension this season — has the biggest goals, like another championship and reasserting himself as one of the dominant players in the game. The Heat also could have one of the most airtight defensive units in the NBA with Antetokounmpo, Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell leading the way. Much is expected of guard Pelle Larsson, who the Heat were thrilled with last season. The air around the Heat seems very different, which is a good thing.
The not-so-good: The big question about Miami, even after Thompson and Hardaway (both major 3-point threats) were acquired, is about shooting, particularly off the dribble. Time will tell if there's enough. And age could be a factor, with Thompson turning 37 this season, Hardaway turning 35 and Antetokounmpo, Portis and Wiggins all set to turn 32. Miami gave away a lot of games last season and those bad losses doomed playoff chances — although the irony there is that if those games had been Heat wins, a playoff trip could have kept them from having enough capital to land Antetokounmpo.
Start with the easy one: Giannis, Giannis, Giannis. He's been an NBA champion (as have Portis, Wiggins and a four-time winner in Thompson) and the Heat think he can have his best season yet. Adebayo is in his prime, and Miami can't wait to see what someone with Portis' unique skill set will bring to the table. There's a lot to like in Miami.
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Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) reacts after dunking the ball over New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III (25) during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
Miami Heat forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (7) looks to pass the ball under pressure from New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
CAIRO (AP) — Iran-backed Houthi rebels hit the headquarters of the Saudi state-owned oil company Aramco in an overnight strike, two regional officials said Wednesday, damaging the offices of the firm’s chief executive and other top officials.
The strike, in the eastern Saudi Arabian city of Dhahran, was the latest demonstration of the Houthis' ability to attack high-profile targets.
There were no casualties in the attack, which the officials said damaged the building's top three floors. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter with the media.
The Houthis had warned earlier they were targeting Dhahran with a ballistic missile.
The sight of smoke rising from some of Saudi Arabia’s most sensitive facilities in recent days has rattled the region and global markets while increasing questions for U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said he's evaluating whether the U.S. should join Saudi strikes against the Houthis in the latest front in the Iran war.
The Saudi energy ministry reported a “limited fire” at the Aramco building Tuesday night. Aramco didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Wednesday, Saudi civil defense authorities in the capital, Riyadh, said debris from an intercepted strike had left one person injured. The state-run SPA news agency published images showing a damaged building and a vehicle with a large cylindrical object, seemingly part of a missile, lodged in its hood.
The Saudi-led coalition said that it had intercepted two Houthi drones, four cruise missiles and one ballistic missile targeting Riyadh, a ballistic missile targeting Dhahran and a cruise missile targeting Al-Kharj, a key military and industrial city. Alerts for incoming missiles were also sounded around Riyadh, though details weren't immediately clear.
The Houthis called the attacks retaliation for “treacherous Saudi aggression” against Sanaa, the rebel-held Yemeni capital, and other areas, as the kingdom backs the forces of neighboring Yemen's internationally recognized government in a major military offensive launched a week and a half ago. The rebel-run Health Ministry reported two dead in attacks in Yemen on Tuesday and blamed the Saudis.
The Houthis have repeatedly targeted Saudi airports, military facilities and oil infrastructure. King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh has been targeted multiple times in the past week with strikes that have killed at least 18 people and wounded more than 300 others, greatly affecting aviation across the kingdom.
The Houthis, hardened by years of civil war, have emerged as Iran's most effective armed proxy of the moment, but experts say they also have their own agenda. Either way, they are applying increasing pressure on a key U.S. ally.
A senior Houthi official told The Associated Press that regional and international powers have reached out in an effort to stop the attacks on Saudi Arabia as part of a ceasefire deal.
Mohamed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthis’ political bureau, said that Oman has tried to get both sides back to the negotiating table, and Russia and China also tried via Iran.
“We’re welcoming any mediation that leads to an end of the war and the blockade between Sanaa and Riyadh,” he said. “We’re ready for a comprehensive end of the war and the blockade from both sides, not just a temporary ceasefire.”
The rebels continued to warn of attacks on both airports and oil facilities. More than 3,000 flights scheduled to depart from airports across Saudi Arabia have been canceled or listed as not operating in the past week, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
The escalation has highlighted Saudi Arabia’s struggle to intercept Houthi missiles and drones. The kingdom has pressed allies like the United States for more military support. Regional officials say Saudi Arabia, the world’s top purchaser of U.S. weapons, is running low on interceptors.
The Saudis are trying to stop daily attacks across a territory about three times the size of Texas. Experts say intercepting all of the missiles and drones is impossible. The Houthis have a large arsenal capable of reaching targets well over 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) away, with some warheads capable of changing direction midflight.
The fighting between the Saudis and Houthis erupted this year when the rebels blamed the Saudis for a strike on the airport in Sanaa. That revived anger over a Saudi blockade of the Houthis, who in turn declared a blockade against the kingdom.
The Saudi-led coalition is also striking oil targets. Earlier Wednesday, the Houthi-run Health Ministry said that two people were killed in an airstrike on Tuesday on an oil facility near the Ras Isa port in Hodeida province. The coalition attacked another oil facility in Sanaa.
The targeting of fuel storage facilities in Houthi-controlled areas marks a new phase, said Ahmed Nagi, senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group, a think tank. He said that in a war of attrition, the rebels could risk losing much of their military capacity.
“The Houthis are betting on pressure, while the Saudis are betting on time. The Houthis are trying to strike critical infrastructure in Saudi Arabia to raise the cost of continued military intervention,” Nagi said.
The fighting has revived Yemen's civil war after four years of relative calm.
“There’s a huge fear,” said one Sanaa resident, Umm Shadi, after the Saudi-led strikes there on Tuesday, adding that people are largely staying home.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said that there had been an “unprecedented surge” in combat casualties along the front lines, particularly in the besieged city of Taiz, the city of Marib, and along the Red Sea. The World Food Program said that it can no longer reach more than 600,000 people in Taiz who depend on aid.
Cara Anna reported from Jerusalem. Sarah El Deeb and Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Ahmed al-Haj in Aden, Yemen, and Fatma Khaled in Cairo, contributed to this report.
FILE -Birds fly over a billboard advertisement for Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil giant Aramco, with Arabic that reads, "Saudi Aramco, soon on stock exchange," in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
