MIAMI (AP) Justise Winslow’s first game in more than nine months was a success, and that’s a good sign for the Miami Heat.
Winslow had six points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots in 23 minutes, and the Heat topped the Atlanta Hawks 96-90 in the preseason opener for both teams Sunday night.
Winslow missed most of last season because of shoulder surgery, and one of the major questions in the Heat preseason is how the No. 10 pick in the 2015 draft out of Duke will fit again in the Miami rotation. He was the first sub in after starting forward James Johnson got into early foul trouble, and made 3 of his 6 shots.
”You can see that there isn’t any hesitation in his play or any lack of aggressiveness,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ”He’s being who he’s meant to be – a player … contributing in a lot of different ways.”
In the other game Sunday, Toronto beat the Los Angeles Clippers 121-113 in Honolulu. It was the Clippers’ first game since the deal that saw star point guard Chris Paul leave the team for Houston this summer.
Serbian guard Milos Teodosic, a 30-year-old point guard who until now has spent his entire pro career in Europe, made his NBA debut. Teodosic missed all five of his shots, but handed out eight assists.
”He came over here for a reason – to prove that he can play and be great over here,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. ”We’re really looking forward to it. We hope he’s right.”
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HEAT 96, HAWKS 90
Miami scored the last eight points of the third quarter, then went on a 12-0 run in the fourth to help put the game away.
Tyler Johnson led Miami with 14 points. Josh Richardson finished with 12 points, Rodney McGruder scored 10 and new addition Kelly Olynyk added nine points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Dewayne Dedmon scored 12 on 5 for 7 shooting for Atlanta. Take him away, and the rest of the Hawks shot 26 for 80.
HAWKS: Dennis Schroder, who was arrested on misdemeanor battery charges last week after a fight outside a late-night restaurant, started at point guard for Atlanta and scored 12 points on 6 for 17 shooting. … Rookie John Collins made a splash, with nine points and 15 rebounds in just under 20 minutes.
HEAT: Reigning NBA rebound champion Hassan Whiteside had eight points and 11 rebounds for the Heat. … Rookie forward Bam Adebayo struggled from the line, going only 1 for 8.
UP NEXT: Atlanta (0-1) is at Cleveland on Wednesday. Miami (1-0) visits Brooklyn on Thursday.
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RAPTORS 121, CLIPPERS 113
All five Toronto starters scored in double figures, with Kyle Lowry leading the way with 17 points. Blake Griffin led the Clippers with a game-high 18.
RAPTORS: CJ Miles and Serge Ibaka each had 12 points, DeMar DeRozan scored 11 and Jonas Valanciunas had 10 points and 10 rebounds in 20 minutes. … Norman Powell scored 16 off the bench for Toronto.
CLIPPERS: Danilo Gallinari looked very good, scoring 17 points and making 10 of 12 free throws. … Lou Williams also scored 17 for the Clippers, and Patrick Beverley – who will likely replace Paul as the starting point guard – scored 14.
UP NEXT: The teams meet again Tuesday in Honolulu.
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SATURDAY
TIMBERWOLVES 108, LAKERS 99
Lonzo Ball’s preseason debut was a struggle at times, with the Lakers’ guard and No. 2 overall pick going 2 for 9 from the floor. But he had eight assists, seven rebounds and – maybe most telling – turned the ball over just three times in 36 minutes.
Shabazz Muhammad scored 22 points and Taj Gibson added 18 for Minnesota. Kyle Kuzma scored 19 for the Lakers.
TIMBERWOLVES: Minnesota led by 20 at one point, even with Andrew Wiggins shooting 3 for 12. Karl-Anthony Towns was 4 for 9 – 1 for 6 from 2-point range, 3 for 3 from 3-point range.
LAKERS: Brandon Ingram and Larry Nance Jr. combined to shoot 5 for 22. … The game had 50 fouls, with the Lakers committing 29 of them.
UP NEXT: Minnesota (1-0) plays Golden State in China in a game that starts in the wee hours of Thursday morning Eastern time. The Lakers (0-1) play host to Denver on Monday night.
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