MIAMI – As the talk around the Miami Heat has been about Bam Adebayo scoring a historic 83 points on Tuesday against the Washington Wizards, there have been a lot of positives with the team entering Saturday on a seven-game winning streak. With the Heat beating the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday after Adebayo scoring 83 points, the team was led by second-year guard Pelle Larsson in a career night.
Spoelstra said before the game that after Adebayo scored 83 points, that type of outing is likely to inspire the players in the locker room to step up. One that did on Thursday was Larsson, who has really been impressing throughout the whole season, being a mainstay in the starting lineup as Saturday against the Magic marks his 44th time to begin the game.
Thursday against the Bucks saw Larsson score a career-high 28 points on an efficient nine of 14 shooting from the field, two of three from deep, to go along with six rebounds and six assists. He would even hit the stifling three that iced Milwaukee from the game, showing how “reliable” he's been, something that Erik Spoelstra echoed.
“He's just gaining more trust and confidence as the season goes on. Now. He's been really reliable from day one. There was a big jump in improvement last year,” Spoelstra said to ClutchPoints. “I would say, about the last six weeks of the season, and then going into the summer, propelled them into having a great training camp in preseason.”
“And then from there, you know, he just continued to force us to have to play him,” Spoelstra continued. “You know, he's coming off the bench or starting. It didn't matter. He just had to be on the court because he does so many winning things. And then, you know, his work ethic is helping him improve his offensive skill set as well, which he saw the other night. And then now, you know, that's that last element of just gaining a lot of confidence, you know, from games and playing well.”
Asked Erik Spoelstra about Pelle Larsson and if there was some surprise to see the jump he’s made in Year 2.
“He’s been really reliable since Day 1, there was a big jump in improvement last year, about the last six weeks of the season…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/zdQBwUJWno
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 14, 2026
Heat's Pelle Larsson talks career night after Bam Adebayo's special game
While the Heat were dealing with an emotional night with Adebayo recording 83 points and making history on Tuesday, marking the second-highest scoring game in NBA history, the next game on Thursday could've been a trap game. It could have been a down game for Miami with their emotional batteries not recharged, but Larsson was the one to lead the team in what ended up being a gritty win.
Larsson excelled with his physicality in creating driving lanes and getting advantages at the rim, even displaying his play-making ability and being active on both sides of the ball. The jump into a dependable player for the former second-round pick has been fun for fans to watch, though Thursday was a different feeling as the 25-year-old admitted to ClutchPoints.
“Yeah, it's kind of weird, because, like, what we experienced was so out of the normal that it was hard to snap out of it, the dream, sort of say,” Larsson referencing Adebayo's 83-point game. “But pretty quickly we got into the game, full speed, full pace, and then it was easy to just play hard and then try to win.”
Asked Pelle Larsson about being one of the players to step up after Bam Adebayo’s 83-points night, leading to career-night of his own.
“It’s kind of weird because what we experienced was so out of the normal that it was hard to snap out of it…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/BEzfIl9VmN
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 13, 2026
Heat's Bam Adebayo shouting out teammates a game after 83-point night
With Larsson leading the way for Miami on Thursday, rookie and 19-year-0ld Kasparas Jakucionis was the other benefactor, continuing to show flashes as he scored 18 points on six of 12 shooting from the field, five of 11 from deep, to go along with seven rebounds. Adebayo would speak highly of the two young players for stepping up.
“Man, I'm thankful for my teammates,” Adebayo said after the win over the Bucks as he recorded 21 points and eight rebounds after the 83-point night. “They stepped up in a big way, especially Pel [Larsson], especially Kas [Jakucionis]. They were aggressive, and they were being assertive. They’re open, they're shooting it, or they're driving it; they're making the right play.”
“That's the thing about our offense. Anybody can get it cooking. And, you know, tonight it was Pel and Kas and sort of me in the fourth, I got it going. But that's the thing about our offense, man. It's one of those things where, like, you gel by sharing the ball, and it makes it hard for the other team,” Adebayo continued.
Asked Bam Adebayo about his 83-point performance inspiring Pelle Larsson and Kasparas Jakucionis to step up:
“Man, I'm thankful for my teammates. They stepped up in a big way, especially Pelle, especially Kas. They were aggressive and they were being assertive…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/0LAukBgnIa
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 13, 2026
At any rate, the Heat are looking for Larsson and others to contribute in a huge way as the team is in the home stretch of the season.
