Giannis Antetokounmpo took issue with a lack of belief within the Miami Heat after they opened their season with a 131-106 blowout loss at home Wednesday to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"We got to trust each other," Antetokounmpo said postgame, per ESPN's Cameron Wolfe. "When things don't go our way, we got to dig in. We didn't do that tonight.
"Our effort has to be better. It starts with me. My effort has to be better. I set the tone."
Antetokounmpo dropped a team-high 35 points in the loss, shooting 13-of-19 from the floor and 9-of-14 on free throws in his first regular-season game with Miami.
However, the Timberwolves dominated, leading by as much as 30 in the final five minutes. Anthony Edwards fuelled Minnesota's win with 45 points, including a 9-of-17 clip from distance.
Center Bam Adebayo was the only other Heat player to score at least 15 points, though the three-time All-Star posted a team-worst minus-28 in 31 minutes.
"This is stepping-stone for us. When we get fatigued, we cannot get bored with our offense," Adebayo said.
"We're a bigger team now. We got to take care of big muscle areas. We got to swarm on defense."
Miami hosts the Detroit Pistons next on Friday before alternating between home and away matchups for the rest of October. The Heat will then take off on a five-game road trip to the West Coast, beginning with a Nov. 2 clash against the Los Angeles Lakers.
