‘Wilt, me, then Kobe’: Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo pours in 83 points, NBA’s second-highest total ever

MIAMI – The Kaseya Center in Miami witnessed a feat for the ages on March 10 as Bam Adebayo produced 83 points – the second-highest single-game scoring total in National Basketball Association (NBA) history – to help the Miami Heat beat the visiting Washington Wizards 150-129.

In the process, the 28-year-old centre passed the late Kobe Bryant (81 points in 2006) for second place on the single-game list. Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point outing has stood as the record since 1962.

“Man, I wish I could relive it twice,” Adebayo said post-game.

“I credit my family, my teammates, this crowd... And they kept feeding me the ball... I couldn’t do it (without my teammates). I appreciate coach (Erik Spoelstra) for drawing up plays for me, and I got it going tonight.

“To be able to do it at home makes it even more sweeter.”

Adebayo set Heat records for the highest-scoring game and the highest-scoring quarter with his 31-point haul in the first period. The old club mark for a game was 61 points, set in 2014 by LeBron James. Adebayo’s previous career best was 41 on Jan 23, 2021, against the Brooklyn Nets.

In 42 minutes on March 10, Adebayo shot 20-for-43 from the floor, seven-for-22 from three-point range and 36-for-43 at the free-throw line. He also grabbed nine rebounds.

Spoelstra said: “Once he got to 50, then we’re thinking, ‘All right, maybe he can get to 60’. And when he got to 60, it just kept on going. We might as well go for 70 and then I didn’t dare even think about taking him out at that point. It just kept on going.

“I wanted him to have a moment. I didn’t know when that would be. It just kept on going... I didn’t stop until once he got Kobe’s.”

Abebayo also set NBA single-game records for most free throws made and most free-throw attempts. Chamberlain and Adrian Dantley were the previous record-holders for made foul shots with 28 each. Dwight Howard had the old mark for free-throw attempts of 39, which he reached twice.

The Heat notched their sixth win in a row, while the Wizards lost nine straight games, five short of their longest skid of the season. Alex Sarr led Washington with 28 points.

Adebayo, in his blistering-hot first quarter, shot 10-for-16 on field-goal attempts, five-for-eight on three-point tries and six-of-seven on free-throw attempts.

He had 43 points in the first half, another Heat record. His first half came on 13-of-24 shooting overall, five-of-11 success from beyond the arc and 12-of-14 accuracy at the free-throw line.

In the fourth quarter, with the victory assured, Miami kept Adebayo in the game, passing the ball to him on every possession as he hunted for records.

His last two points came from the foul line with 1min 16sec to go as he surpassed Bryant.

“It’s Wilt, me, then Kobe, which sounds crazy,” he said. REUTERS