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Timberwolves vs. Heat preview: Why the under 238.5 could be the play in tonight's matchup

21 October 2026 at 20:06

The NBA returned to action yesterday, and I had two plays for us, and we started perfectly with wins in both games. It won't always be a rosy outlook, but it was nice to get off to a good start in the NBA. We had the appetizer of three great games yesterday, and today we have 11 different matchups to choose from. The first one I have circled is on ESPN as the Timberwolves take on the Heat.

The Minnesota Timberwolves should probably be given a little bit of credit for all of the tinkering they've done with their roster over the years. We see a lot of teams build a roster and then leave it alone for a few years to see if it will work out. The Timberwolves have given their team a chance, and then they adjust based on the results of the squad. For example, they've traded for Rudy Gobert, then they traded away Karl-Anthony Towns when the pairing didn't work. They realized they needed a point guard, and they traded for LaMelo Ball in the offseason.

The problem with the trade is that they got rid of one of their best players, Naz Reid, in the deal. He will be missed off the bench and in key moments. However, Ball should make the offense look a little more dynamic. Ball has plenty of flaws. He has terrible shot selection, seems to be a complete disaster on defense in isolation situations, and he is injury-prone. There is no denying his talent, though. When his shot is falling, he is elite. He is great in transition, and he will now be a second option to Anthony Edwards, who seems to already really like playing with him.

LAMELO BALL TRADED TO TIMBERWOLVES TO TEAM UP WITH FELLOW TOP PICK ANTHONY EDWARDS IN BLOCKBUSTER DEAL: REPORT

The Miami Heat come into this game with a new look as well. They still have some key mainstays like Erik Spoelstra as their coach. I've removed any doubt about his abilities. He seems to find a way to get things to work regardless of who he has on the roster. That doesn't mean they always win, but he certainly gets the most out of his team. Pat Riley is also willing to shake things up as he tries to get the team back to championship contention.

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There is no doubt they are close again because they added one of the best players in basketball in the offseason with Giannis Antetokounmpo coming to the team. Giannis will now be the offensive force for the team. If you're going to question anything about the roster, the main question should be: where will the shooting come from? No one on the roster, outside of Klay Thompson, is a great 3-point shooter, and he is on the wrong side of his career to be relied on. Probably the same with Tim Hardaway Jr.

The Heat might have the best defensive five in basketball. Davion Mitchell is an elite defender, even if he doesn't get much recognition for it. Thompson and Wiggins have both likely lost a step, but both are still good defenders. Giannis and Bam are potential Defensive Player of the Year candidates. It is a bit hard to take the under in this game because the Timberwolves could absolutely be an offensive force, and no one really will stop Giannis on their team, but I think the Heat defense, plus the lack of 3-point shooting from Miami, give the under 238.5 a good shot.

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For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024

Colossal Biosciences Said It Cloned Red Wolves. Is It for Real?

7 August 2026 at 22:10

Midway through Boyce Upholt’s mind-boggling dispatch, one of his sources sums up the central challenge of the Gulf Coast canid: “Why is there not just a simple explanation for what this thing is?” The “wolfy coyotes” of southeastern Texas hold genetic traces that may link them to red wolves, which were declared extinct in the wild in 1980. But a lack of data makes it challenging to define the species—or, for that matter, to determine whether a private company has cloned the red wolf or something else entirely. Upholt doesn’t deal in simple explanations; the pleasure, here, is in the complexity.

The concept of a “species” is less sturdy than your high school biology teacher might have led you to believe. The most familiar definition is that a species consists of animals that can produce fertile offspring. But that’s a rule various species of canids violate all the time; it’s long been clear that North America’s soup of Canis genes is something less like a family tree and more like a river—one that’s broken by islands and sandbars into many braided channels that split and merge and re-split.

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