The new era of Timberwolves basketball — the idealized version of it, anyway — was on full display in Wednesday’s season-opening, 131-106 win in Miami.

Anthony Edwards went nuclear to the tune of 45 points — on the strength of nine triples — 10 rebounds and excellent defense. LaMelo Ball had 21 points and six assists. Jaden McDaniels went 8 for 11 from the floor. Jonathan Kuminga was an efficient scorer and needed physical defensive presence. Rudy Gobert tallied 15 rebounds, with the Wolves winning his minutes by 29 points.

Minnesota went bombs away from distance, burying 21 threes on 50 attempts.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 points in his Heat debut, but the Wolves had answers for everything else.

A team that figured to threaten to be the NBA’s best offense this season stormed out of the gates, scoring 69 points in the first half.

The third frame was an Edwards takeover, with the guard scoring 15 points on 4 for 5 shooting from 3-point range. Edwards somehow outdid himself from a year ago, when he poured in 41 points in a season-openiong win over Portland.

Beyond the scoring, Edwards set the tone as a harrassing perimeter defensive presence on a night where the Wolves turned 19 Miami turnovers in 31 points going the other way.

Minnesota’s hope was that Ball’s arrival would lighten Edwards’ workload, thus allowing the superstar guard to impact the game in other ways.

That came to fruition in Game 1. Edwards led, and everyone else followed with the same tenacity.

Minnesota next plays Friday in Orlando.

• ‘We play D around here’: As personnel shifts, doubt Wolves’ defense at your own peril
• For Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards, a new standard for excellence
• Jaden McDaniels agrees to extension with Timberwolves. Here are the numbers
• LaMelo Ball’s stats say he’s one of NBA’s best. Narrative won’t change unless he wins big with Wolves
• Predicting every NBA team’s 2026-27 record: How do the Timberwolves stack up?

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Pascal Siakam scored 30 points, including 12 in the final quarter, Tyrese Haliburton added 23 points and 12 assists in his first regular-season game since rupturing his right Achilles tendon 16 months ago and the Indiana Pacers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 123-120 on Wednesday night.

With Indiana trailing 92-86 entering the fourth, Haliburton took charge in the fourth quarter, scoring eight of Indiana’s 10 points in a 90-second span to erase a 101-93 Pelicans lead. The Pacers outscored New Orleans 15-3 to take a 108-104 edge.

Zion Williamson, who had 22 points, tied the game at 116 on a driving layup and foul shot, but Haliburton scored on power moves on the next two trips down the court, and Indiana took a 121-118 lead and closed out the game with a pair of free throws by Quenton Jackson.

Obi Toppin added 20 points for Indiana, and Ivica Zubac added 16 points and 14 rebounds. Andrew Nembhard scored 18 points.

Dejounte Murray scored 23 points for the Pelicans, and Yves Missi had 13 points and 14 rebounds.

Williamson took only four 3-pointers all last season and made just one. But in offseason practices, he worked on expanding his shooting range, although most of his attention was on mid-range jumpers.

Left open by the Pacers late in the second quarter, Williamson stepped behind the arc and nailed back-to-back 3s from the right and left wings.

The Pacers jumped out to a 38-31 first-quarter lead on 59% shooting, but the Pelicans held Indiana to 33% shooting in a 35-18 second quarter that gave New Orleans a 66-56 lead, capped by Williamson’s long-range jumper at the buzzer. Williamson scored the final eight points of the half.

Pacers: Host Milwaukee on Friday night.

Pelicans: Visit Utah on Friday night.

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See AP’s full NBA coverage here

Palmeiras overcame a late scare to defeat Fluminense on penalties in an all-Brazilian semi-final and reach the Copa Libertadores final for the seventh time on Wednesday.

Fluminense, trailing 2-1 from last week's first leg, stunned Palmeiras with eight minutes of normal time remaining when Hercules swept in an emphatic winner at the Nubank Parque stadium in Sao Paulo.

That made it 2-2 on aggregate, sending the game immediately to a penalty shoot-out after the final whistle.

The decisive moment in the shoot-out came when Fluminense's Nonato saw his team's fourth penalty saved by Palmeiras goalkeeper Carlos Miguel to leave his team trailing 4-3.

Palmeiras midfielder Marlon Freitas made no mistake with the fifth kick to send them into the final for the second year running.

Palmeiras, runners-up in last year's final, will face either reigning champions Flamengo or Argentina's Estudiantes in next month's final in Montevideo.

Flamengo and Estudiantes drew the first leg of their semi-final in Buenos Aires 0-0 last week and play their second leg at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday.

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Stanford football (3-4) stays home this week to face the NC State Wolfpack (3-3), needing a win to really turn its season around and put itself back into bowl game consideration. NC State is a tough team, and the Cardinal need to play their best brand of football if they want to win.

But the program needs to get by without some key players. Ahead of the matchup, the ACC released official injury reports for this week. Stanford has multiple players still listed out, including linebacker Matt Rose and defensive back Brandon Nicholson. 

Rose suffered an undisclosed injury after an 11-tackle performance against Georgia Tech on Sept. 26 and has not played since. He finished with over 100 tackles last season, the first Cardinal to achieve that feat in over a decade, and entered this season looking to boost his NFL draft stock.

He has played at an elite level when healthy, but it is still to be disclosed how long he will be out. Stanford needs him back desperately to improve linebacker depth and production. Rose is the leader of the defense, and his presence elevates everyone around him.

Nicholson suffered a non-contact injury in the Georgia Tech game as well, going right to the ground after recording an interception.

He's set to miss a significant amount of time, and it is highly possible that he will not return this season, putting the program in a tough spot. After Collin Wright missed time with an injury of his own last season, Nicholson shined and proved himself as a key player for the defense. 

The Cardinal have been relying on players such as Cam Richardson and Dre Pollard to get by, and while they have shown flashes, it is evident that the team is missing Nicholson.

Other players set to miss the NC State game include defensive back Breylan Thompson, offensive linemen Aidan Kilstrom and Nathan Mejia, linebacker Preston Jernegan, tight end Reiman Zebert and long snapper Peyton Warford. 

Defensive backs Lonnie McAllister III and Chris Garland are questionable, while Lasiah Jackson is probable.

NC State will be down some key stars as well. Running back Jayden Scott, defensive back Tristan Teasdell and tight end Vander Ploog headline the list of injured NC State players. Scott, NC State's leading rusher, has 62 carries for 358 yards and four touchdowns this season. With him out, it will be interesting to see how the Wolfpack's offense attacks.

Wide receiver Jojo Trader and offensive tackle Kamen Smith are listed as questionable for the Wolfpack. If they return, they will provide a big boost.

This game is big for both teams. For Stanford, a win puts them back at .500 and digs them out of a massive hole when it comes to returning to a bowl game. They would reach four wins, which is their total from last season, and would have a path to reaching a bowl game. That path evaporates with a loss. 

The Cardinal go on the road for two straight weeks after this, facing two good teams in Louisville and Virginia Tech. Beating NC State would give them a major confidence boost for those matchups.

NC State lost to Wake Forest in their last game after winning two straight before that, and are hungry to get back into the win column so they can turn their own season around. Either way, this game could be season-defining for both programs.