Bam Adebayo scored 83 points, the second-best scoring effort, and the Miami Heat dominated the Washington Wizards 150-129 on Tuesday night.
Adebayo had 31 points in the first quarter, 43 by halftime, and 62 by the end of the third quarter. He finished 20 for 43 from the field, 36 for 43 from the foul line, and 7 for 22 from 3-point range.
The Heat big man’s free throws make attempts, setting both sets of NBA records for a game. The record for attempts is 39, set by Dwight Howard, who got to the line that many times on two occasions. The record for free throws made in a game was 28, set by Wilt Chamberlain and Adrian Dantley.
Adebayo passed Kobe Bryant for the second-highest scoring game ever, which was 81 points.
LeBron James had had the previous Heat single-game scoring mark; his 61-point effort against Charlotte happened on March 3, 2014. Denver’s Nikola Jokic had the previous season high in the NBA this season with 56.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist passed them both in the third quarter.
Simone Fontecchio added 18 points for the Heat, which has won six straight and moved a season-best eight games over 500.
Meanwhile, the Heat were without Norman Powell (groin), Tyler Herro (quadriceps), Nikola Jovic (back), and Andrew Wiggins (toe).
Alex Sarr led the Wizards with 28 points, Will Riley added 22, and Jaden Hardy added 17, who were without Trae Young due to right knee management.
Washing has lost nine straight.
Both teams will play on Thursday: the Wizards visit Orlando, while the Heat host the Bucks.
