LaMelo Ball and Giannis Antetokounmpo shine in debuts as Timberwolves outlast Heat

MIAMI (AP) — LaMelo Ball’s tenure with the Minnesota Timberwolves began with a 3-pointer from near the edge of the midcourt logo in Miami. Giannis Antetokounmpo started receiving MVP chants from his new Heat fans before the first television timeout.

Both had dazzling debuts. But it was Ball and the Timberwolves who left happy after a 131-106 victory.

Ball had 21 points, six assists and two blocks in his first official game with Minnesota, more than enough to help the Timberwolves survive a 35-point, six-rebound Heat debut from Antetokounmpo, who had 21 in the first half before fouling out in the fourth.

“It felt great being with the brothers,” Ball said, "and obviously we won, so great night.”

Antetokounmpo wasn't nearly as thrilled after his debut.

The two-time MVP made the plays that showed why the Heat were willing to give up so much to bring him to Miami, but it wasn't enough to overcome a loaded Timberwolves squad that saw four of five starters finish in double figures.

Among Antetokounmpo's most electric plays were a two-handed dunk in the second quarter that he followed with a couple animated gestures toward Minnesota's Anthony Edwards, as well as a Euro-step dunk on guard Ayo Dosunmu that Antetokounmpo finished after throwing the ball up to himself in transition.

“I feel good when the team plays good," Antetokounmpo said, “When things are clicking. When we play with rhythm. When we play with great pace. That's when I feel good.”

Edwards finished with 45 points and nine 3-pointers, a potential sign of what's to come with the addition of Ball, who the Wolves hope can create more offensive opportunities for the superstar guard.

“At this point, me and him are going to be like best friends," Edwards said in an on-court interview after the game, before Ball approached and the two shared a handshake and a hug.

Completing a complicated four-team trade with Brooklyn, Charlotte and Chicago, Minnesota acquired Ball and guard Josh Green and sent fan favorite Naz Reid and a package of draft picks — a 2033 unprotected first-rounder, first-round swaps in 2028, 2029 and 2030, and second-rounders in 2029, 2032 and 2033 — to the Hornets.

Ball played in only 43% of the games over a three-year stretch from 2022-25 before a promising 2025-26 season that helped propel Charlotte into the play-in. In Minnesota, he has a stronger team around him than he's ever had.

“He can generate good looks for your team as well as anybody in this league," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He’s unselfish. He can deliver every pass that you need him to make. He also can just get off the ball. He just has a great feel for when to get off the ball, when to make a play, and he can also go get you 30 if the game calls for it. So he’s going to unlock some things that I think they are excited about.”

Minnesota coach Chris Finch said he wants Ball to find a balance between being an aggressive scorer and distributing the ball.

Edwards wants Ball to score every chance he gets.

“We need him to be ultra aggressive at all times because every team knows that he can pass the ball,” Edwards said, “so if they know you can pass, they're expecting pass. So we need him to go score every time. ... To me, he’s the best point guard in the NBA, so it’s like get him the ball and let him create for others.”

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Minnesota Timberwolves guard LaMelo Ball, right, works around Detroit Pistons forward John Collins (20) during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Miami Heat forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (7) vies with Minnesota Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (4) for the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Heat forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (7) looks for an opening past Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard LaMelo Ball (1) looks on during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

A Florida police officer who found a man dead during a welfare check in 2022 is accused of taking possession of the man’s home and impersonating him for years while fixing up the place, authorities said.

The officer said he took possession of the property weeks after discovering the homeowner's body to “prevent squatters from taking control of it,” according to a court document he filed.

Investigators in South Florida have accused Lauderhill police officer Brian Sguros of carrying out a “complex scheme” to take control of the $400,000 home. They say he made it appear the man was still alive by using his identification to pay taxes on the property and obtain permits to make repairs.

Sguros was arrested this week and charged with five felonies, including official misconduct and criminal use of deceased personal identification. He appeared in court at a brief hearing on Wednesday and then dashed away from reporters outside.

Messages seeking comment were left Thursday with one of his attorneys and Sguros, who has been suspended from his job.

Court documents in a related civil case show that the officer's attempt to take possession of the two-story house in a tidy neighborhood just outside Fort Lauderdale became known after a real estate group bought the house from the man's relatives in 2025.

Sguros said in an affidavit that in August 2022 — less than a month after he found Dennis West dead inside the Lauderhill home — he took possession of the property and spent the next 2 1/2 years making repairs, spending more than $200,000 of his own money.

He said the house had been filled with trash, that its roof was partially collapsed and that the structure was unstable.

Sguros said in another court document that he took over the property “believing that by cleaning, securing, and restoring a dangerous and abandoned residence he was acting lawfully and responsibly to protect the surrounding community.”

He argued that he made no attempts to hide what he was doing.

But investigators with Broward County Sheriff's Office said the deception began when the officer told the county medical examiner that he was friends with West, who had died of natural causes, and that the man had no family, which was not true.

Sguros paid taxes and utilities at the home in West’s name, and forged his signature to get permits for work at the home, the sheriff's office said. Investigators said Sguros also used his access to law enforcement databases to find information about West.

The officer in February 2025 filed paperwork with the county appraiser stating his possession of the home. But after the real estate group later acquired deeds to the property, he filed a civil case against the company seeking to be reimbursed for the money he spent on repairs.

This undated image from video shows a home in Lauderhill, Fla., which a police officer is accused of illegally trying to take possession of after finding its' owner dead during a welfare check. (WSVN-TV via AP)