Overview
- Bam Adebayo scored 83 points in Miami’s 150-129 win over Washington on March 10, the second-highest total in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain, with single-game records of 36 made and 43 attempted free throws.
- The closing minutes featured unconventional tactics, including Wizards fouls to deny Adebayo touches and Heat players intentionally missing free throws to regain possession, which Washington coach Brian Keefe said made the fourth quarter “not a real basketball game.”
- Erik Spoelstra said he would “do it 10 times out of 10 again,” calling the approach fair once the game entered the final minutes and declaring, “I apologize to absolutely no one.”
- Heat president Pat Riley’s tunnel remark—saying he would have taken Adebayo out at 70 before congratulating him—circulated widely as the franchise framed the night as a celebrated milestone.
- Reaction across the league remained split, with praise from stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant and criticism from figures such as Robert Horry and Ime Udoka, while viral claims of a drug test or suspension were refuted by The Sporting News.