No one expected Bam Adebayo, of all people, to be the one to surpass Kobe Bryant on the NBA all-time single game scoring list. Now, the Miami Heat star is not the worst scorer in the world. But for someone who had a previous career-high of 41 points, scoring 83 points sounds like the tallest order in the world.
But no one gave Adebayo that memo. He was in a good scoring mood from the get-go of their eventual 150-129 win against the Washington Wizards, scoring 31 points in the first quarter alone, and he never stopped scoring — literally. From minute one to minute 48, Adebayo had something to say against the tanking Wizards' defense.
He finished with 83 points on 20-43 shooting from the field and a bonkers 36-43 tally from the free-throw line. He now owns the second-highest scoring game in the history of the NBA, surpassing Bryant, who scored his iconic 81 points against the Toronto Raptors back in 2006.
No one can ever discredit Adebayo's efforts even though the game devolved into an unabashed chase for that historic scoring game by the end. Again: this was a man whose previous career-high in scoring in the NBA was 41 points, and he doubled that tally in one night.
This is a night Adebayo will never forget, and the only shame about this effort is that it had to end.
Heat star Bam Adebayo could not be stopped
Adebayo was facing double teams all night long, and at one point, he was even being triple-teamed in the backcourt. But the Wizards were too handsy with him all night, and he had one trip after another to the foul line — fueling his historic scoring night.
By the end of the contest, the Heat star was being hacked all over, and it's certainly worth commending that he shot nearly 84 percent from the foul line on 43 attempts.
