Bam Adebayo delivered one of the greatest scoring performances in NBA history Tuesday night, erupting for 83 points to lead the Miami Heat to a 150–129 victory over the Washington Wizards.
Adebayo’s 83-point outburst is the second-highest single-game total in league history, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962 and surpassing Kobe Bryant’s 81-point performance in 2006.
The Heat star set the tone immediately, pouring in 31 points in the first quarter. He had 43 by halftime and reached 62 through three quarters before continuing his historic night down the stretch.
Adebayo finished 20-of-43 from the field, went 7-of-22 from 3-point range and made an astounding 36 of 43 free throws.
Both of those free-throw totals set NBA records. The previous mark for attempts was 39 by Dwight Howard, while the record for makes had been 28, shared by Chamberlain and Adrian Dantley. Chamberlain set his total the same night he scored 100 points.
Adebayo also broke the Miami franchise record for points in a game, surpassing LeBron James’ 61-point performance against Charlotte on March 3, 2014. Denver’s Nikola Jokic had the NBA’s season-high entering the night with 56 points, a mark Adebayo eclipsed in the third quarter.
Simone Fontecchio added 18 points for Miami (37–29), which won its sixth straight game and moved a season-best eight games over .500 despite playing shorthanded. The Heat were without Norman Powell (groin), Tyler Herro (quadriceps), Nikola Jovic (back) and Andrew Wiggins (toe).
Alex Sarr led Washington with 28 points, while Will Riley scored 22 and Jaden Hardy added 17. The Wizards were also missing Trae Young, who sat out due to right knee injury management, and have now dropped nine consecutive games.
Up next: Washington will visit Orlando on Thursday, while Miami returns home to host Milwaukee.
