NBA Notes: Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards, Blazers, Deni Avdija, Heat

Timberwolves

Donte DiVincenzo may be the starter on paper, but head coach Chris Finch says the Timberwolves’ real point guard is Anthony Edwards.

Edwards is, after all, the one steering the ship, Finch said via Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

“Anthony’s probably more of our point guard than Donte is our point guard,” Finch said. “He has the ball. He is our lead guard in that regard.”

Edwards admitted the new responsibility is a work in progress.

“I just got to get used to being a point guard,” Edwards said. “Going to get the rock at the end of the game, bringing it up, even though they pressure.”

Minnesota remains in the thick of the West race, but the Edwards-led offense continues to evolve on the fly.

Trail Blazers

Portland fell short of advancing in the NBA Cup on Wednesday, but its young roster walked away with something valuable.

The Blazers would have secured the top seed in their group by beating San Antonio. Instead, they were eliminated — but gained a taste of what high-stakes basketball feels like.

“We wanted it,” said Deni Avdija, via Kevin Pelton of ESPN. “We wanted that game. It was a good opportunity for us to advance in the Cup. We fought. It was a tough game; it was a close game.”

Avdija exploded for 37 points, eight assists and six rebounds, and said the intensity felt “kind of like a playoff game.”

“I know I’m not experienced, other guys are not experienced yet,” he said. “It was a tough test for us, but from this game we can learn a lot.”

Heat

The Heat were finally healthy on Wednesday, and Erik Spoelstra quickly hinted that nothing about his rotation is permanent.

Spoelstra indicated he plans to stay flexible with lineups and matchups, per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Second-year center Kel’el Ware was moved back to the bench after starting nine of the past 10 games. Forward Nikola Jovic, returning from a right hip injury, didn’t crack the 10-man rotation at all.

“None of it will be in cement,” Spoelstra said. “I don’t feel pressure to make it cement, whether it’s the starting lineup or the rotation.

“I’ve said it since the first day of training camp. We feel that our depth is one of our best strengths and we want to weaponize that.”