ESPN News ServicesMultiple AuthorsMar 12, 2026, 07:30 PM ET
MIAMI — Erik Spoelstra had a very clear message to those who didn’t like how the final minutes of Bam Adebayo’s 83-point game played out.
Adebayo’s 83-point game — now the No. 2 single-game total in NBA history, 17 behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 and two ahead of Kobe Bryant’s 81 — was one unlike any other. The Heat center took 43 shots in a 150-129 win Tuesday over the Washington Wizards, made an NBA-record 36 free throws and had an NBA-record 43 tries from the foul line.
And the last few minutes were a circus, with the Wizards as times quadruple-teaming Adebayo — who was still getting the ball — and the Heat fouling Washington players on four occasions in the final moments to extend the game and get their center more opportunities to score.
Adebayo said he didn’t see a double-team from the Wizards until the fourth quarter, when he already was up to 70 points.
“I’ve got 70 with, what, nine minutes left to go in the game? You think I’m not going for it? … Who would be like, ‘You know, Coach, just take me out.’ Yeah, right,” Adebayo said. “You can’t be mad at that. If you are mad, I don’t care. Because a lot of people, if they did play, they never had a chance to get that close to chasing greatness. And if you get that close to chasing greatness, that’s the point of chasing it — so you can surpass it.”
Adebayo settled for 62 fewer points Thursday night, when he scored 21 to help the Heat defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 112-105 for their seventh consecutive win. His stat line: 6-for-20 from the field, 9-for-13 from the foul line and 0-for-5 from 3-point range in 35 minutes.
“To be able to move onto the next game, get the win and figure it out in a different way … it wasn’t 83 tonight. It was 21,” Adebayo said, describing the 48 hours between Tuesday’s game and Thursday’s game as an emotional roller coaster. “And if anybody’s upset, I don’t care.”
“There was a moment, and when there’s a moment in time like that, it’s carpe diem,” Spoelstra said, using the Latin term for “seize the day.” “You have to go for it, and that was just thrilling. And I’m honored that we were all able to be a part of it.”
A handful of coaches around the NBA, including the LA Clippers’ Tyronn Lue and the Denver Nuggets’ David Adelman, have indicated they had no problem with the Heat using the final minutes to help add to what was already an enormous point total.
Adelman said Adebayo is as good of a professional as there is in the league, and to take a night “and go a little bit crazy” was entertaining.
“He made the extra pass in the fourth quarter when he had 60. He blocked a shot. He was still playing the game,” Adelman said. “When you get to 70, I’m sorry, man, like all bets are off. … I thought it was really cool.”
Wizards coach Brian Keefe didn’t seem thrilled Tuesday with how the last few minutes went. On Thursday in Orlando, before his team played the Magic, Keefe didn’t reminisce.
He was referring to how the Heat lost a game to Utah last month, a matchup in which the Jazz — who keep their first-round pick this year if it’s in the top eight of the draft — held out some of their top players in the fourth quarter and won anyway.
“I’ve seen people say you’ve got to be a purist. I’m a Darwinist in this league,” Spoelstra said. “Really, you can do anything you want in this game. You can approach it however you want. … There’s nothing wrong with what they’re doing. If you can tank and get a great draft pick, I don’t care. You could do anything in this league. You can approach it however you want.”
Spoelstra acknowledged that leaving Adebayo in toward the end of a decided game — Adebayo checked out for good with 1:08 left — was unusual. He also said memorable moments are “what our fans want to see” and that “a really magical night just appeared out of nowhere.”
Without being asked, Adebayo showed up to help that morning. Spoelstra was blown away by the gesture.
“I apologize to absolutely no one,” Spoelstra said Thursday. “Period.”
His takeaway: Blame the Wizards for him getting on the roll of a lifetime.
And so was the coach, who made clear that he’ll do anything for Adebayo.
Spoelstra doesn’t apologize for how Bam’s 83-point game played out (2:29)Heat coach Erik Spoelstra doesn’t care about the criticism surrounding Bam Adebayo’s 83-point game. (2:29)