MINNEAPOLIS _ Goran Dragic couldn't miss on his first seven 3-point attempts and for a while Monday night it felt like his teammates couldn't miss, as well.
Considering what Karl-Anthony Towns was doing on the other end, just about all of that offensive firepower was needed as the Miami Heat pushed past the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-113 at Target Center.
It got harrowing at the finish, very harrowing after the Heat led by 14 earlier, but the still found a way to their 11th consecutive victory.
With Dragic closing with 33 points and Heat center Hassan Whiteside adding a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double, the Heat were able to withstand 35 points from Towns, 27 from Andrew Wiggins and 14 points and 13 from Ricky Rubio.
The Heat closed 15 of 28 on 3-pointers on a night they never trailed.
The game ended when, off an inbounds pass down two with 8.5 seconds to play, Wiggins was off with a 15-foot jumper.
A James Johnson 3-pointer with 3:46 to play put the Heat up 108-103.
After Shabazz Muhammad then scored on a driving floater, Rodney McGruder countered with a second-chance basket on the other end for a 110-105 Heat lead.
After a Heat defensive stop, McGruder followed with a basket for a 112-105 Heat lead.
Fouled with 1:59 to play, Rubio converted a pair of free throws to bring Minnesota within 112-107.
But back came Whiteside inside for a 114-107 Heat lead.
Later, with 33.6 seconds to play, Wiggins drained a 3-pointer to bring Minnesota within 114-110.
Then, after a deep inbounds pass into their own backcourt, the Heat committed turnover that led to a 3-point play by Wiggins with 22.4 seconds to play.
It got even uglier after James Johnson committed a turnover on the Heat's next possession.
Eventually Whiteside was fouled with 8.5 seconds to play. He made only the second free throw, leaving the Heat up 115-113, with Minnesota calling timeout.
Then came Wiggins' miss and the final buzzer.
Dragic was saddled with his fourth foul with 7:59 to play but remained in the game.
Earlier, Dragic improved to 7 of 7 on 3-pointers, including a conversion after the 'Wolves pulled within 93-92. He then missed his eighth 3-point attempt.
After the offenses somewhat cooled, the Heat went into the fourth quarter up 93-88, with Towns up to 29 points at that stage and Dragic at 28.
After standing with six points at halftime, Wiggins scored 13 in the third period to help the 'Wolves push back from a 14-point deficit.
Whiteside had his double-double by the midpoint of the third period, going into the fourth quarter with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra went into the game saying, "What we're focused on right now is making sure our defense travels."
Instead it was an orgy of offense in a first half that ended with the Heat up 71-57, their highest-scoring first half of the season, which included 11-of-14 3-point accuracy.
Dragic had 21 points for the Heat at the break, as did Towns for the Timberwolves.
The first half set that offensive tone, allowing the Heat to take a 40-33 lead into the second period, the highest-scoring first quarter of the season for the Heat.
The Heat were able to overcome 15 first-quarter points from Towns by shooting 6 of 8 on 3-pointers and .696 from the field over those first 12 minutes, with Dragic scoring 11 in the period. It also was the Heat's best shooting first quarter of the season.
This was the first game of the two-game season series that concludes March 17 at AmericanAirlines Arena
The teams entered having split the two-game series in each of the previous three seasons, with the Heat having won seven of their previous eight appearances at the Target Center.
The Heat entered on a 10-game winning streak, outscoring the opposition in the second half of each of their previous 11 games.
The game opens a four-game trip, the start of a run of six of seven on the road for the Heat, with the Milwaukee Bucks up next on Wednesday night at BMO Harris Bradley Center.
The game was the second on a six-game homestand for the Timberwolves, who entered having lost three in a row after winning five of their previous six.
The Heat remained without Josh Richardson (foot), Justise Winslow (shoulder), Josh McRoberts (foot) and Chris Bosh (blood clots), with the Timberwolves without Kris Dunn (hand) and Adreian Payne (illness) and Zach LaVine (knee).
