Overview
- Miami’s Bam Adebayo scored 83 in a 150-129 win over Washington, the NBA’s second-highest single-game total behind Wilt Chamberlain and ahead of Kobe Bryant.
- Adebayo set single-game free-throw records with 43 attempts and 36 makes, a volume that fueled questions about how the closing minutes were managed.
- Wizards coach Brian Keefe called the fourth quarter “not a real basketball game,” citing repeated fouls and endgame maneuvers as the Heat kept Adebayo on the floor.
- Adebayo said critics should fault Washington’s strategy, insisted the fouls were legitimate, and rejected stopping at 81; coach Erik Spoelstra said, “I apologize to absolutely no one.”
- Support poured in from Heat president Pat Riley, who called the backlash “bull****,” while Jaylen Brown and Shaquille O’Neal defended Adebayo; Charles Barkley criticized some late tactics but blasted the Wizards’ response.