The winless Minnesota Timberwolves host the unbeaten Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association Friday night.
While the Wolves have boosted their roster this season, they still have yet to secure a W after two games. They lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder 100-104 in their opening game before bowing to the Milwaukee Bucks 95-98.
"A lot of our problems were unforced errors," Wolves assistant coach Terry Porter told twincities.com
"We threw up some alley-oop passes we shouldn't have thrown at times. We threw the ball into crowds when nothing was there. We have to do a better job of looking at those situations and making adjustments," lamented Porter, who filled in for head coach Rick Adelman who missed the game to attend the funeral of his mother-in-law.
Still Minnesota fans remain confident that the combination of Kevin Love, Mike Beasley and new recruits Derrick Williams, Ricky Rubio and JJ Barea will eventually click as the new season progresses.
Love powered his way to 31 points and 20 rebounds against the Bucks while Rubio had six points, four assists and three steals. Luke Ridnour added 17 points while Beasley chipped in 15.
For Barea, it's another chance to step up against old foes. The Puerto Rican guard was part of the Dallas Mavericks team that defeated the Heat in last season's Finals.
Miami, meanwhile, is easily the favorite in the match-up having won its first three games.
The Heat are coming off a 96-95 road win over the Charlotte Bobcats. Dwyane Wade nailed a jumper with 2.9 seconds left to seal the win for Miami.
"Hey, they deserved to take my money today," he said. “But I earned my money toward the end.”
Wade finished with 10 points while LeBron James led the charge with 35 points and seven assists. Chris Bosh also impressed with 25 points while Mario Chalmers added 15.
