The Miami Heat collected two awards on All-Star Saturday Night, with Bam Adebayo winning the Taco Bell Skills Challenge and Derrick Jones Jr. following that up with a win in a long-drawn-out Slam Dunk Contest on what was actually his 23rd birthday.
Miami has been one of the most impressive teams in the NBA this season and, just as well, three of their players were selected to compete on Saturday night. The Heat probably won’t rue Duncan Robinson not succeeding in the Three-Point contest after collecting two of the three available awards on the night but Robinson will likely be displeased he was unable to join his teammates in the silverware ring.
Bam kicked things off for his team in the Skills Challenge, taking Domantas Sabonis down in the final round before handing over to Robinson, who would score 19 in a losing effort at the Three-Point contest.
Jones Jr., or “Airplane Mode” as he’s known, went through a painstaking final round – inclusive of a dunk-off – against the Orlando Magic’s Aaron Gordon, with the pair putting on a remarkable show at the Chicago Bulls’ United Center.
That won’t be all for the Heat, though. Bam will be on show again on Sunday night, with the big man getting selected for the All-Star Game for the first time in his three-year career, while Jimmy Butler will cut a fifth All-Star appearance amid an incredible first season in South Beach.
