Miami Heat of USA’s Nigerian-born star, Bam Adebayo was on top of his game against in the National Basketball Association (NBA), but his haul of 29 points could not save his side from defeat by Boston Celtics, Sports247 reports.
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Adebayo’s haul on the night was a far cry from his second highest NBA record of 83 points achieved last month, and it was also below Celtics’ Jaylen Brown’s 43 points, while Jayson Tatum had his first triple-double of the season.
With Brown outshining Adebayo, Celtics rode the strength of a record-setting first quarter to beat The Heat 147-129, as the winning team got a franchise record that tied the second-highest total opening quarter in NBA history.
Tatum finished with 25 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists for Boston’s 53 points in the first quarter, and Sam Hauser added 23 for The Celtics, who are 31-0 when scoring at least 117 points this season and 10-1 in their last 11 games after a loss.
Adebayo had 29 points and 10 rebounds for Miami, which tied a franchise record by hitting 24 three-pointers, but Celtics led by as many as 27, then saw their lead trimmed to as little as nine early in the fourth quarter.
Davion Mitchell scored 21, while Tyler Herro and Pelle Larsson each added 18 for The Heat (40-37), but Boston (51-25) hold number two spot in the NBA’s Eastern Conference race, four gamesf behind top placed Detroit Pistons.
Sports247 recalls that Edrice Femi Adebayo (aka Bam), who was part of USA’s gold medal-winning team at the 2024 Olympics, made history on March 10th when he scored 83 points in Miami Heats’ 150-129 victory over Washington Wizards.
He also broke the league records for free throws made and free throws attempted in a game, and scored the second-most points in a game, overtaking Kobe Bryant’s 81 and trailing only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game.
Adebayo also broke the Heat’s franchise records for points scored in a quarter (31), in a half (41), and in a game (83), going 20-of-43 from the field, including 7-of-22 from 3-point range, and 36-of-43 from the free throw line.
However, he fell short in his team’s last NBA game, which left Mismi Heat vulnerable to defeat at the feet of Boston Celtics in their latest encounter.
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