BBNBA: Bam Adebayo drops 26/17, leads Heat to 4th straight win
The Miami Heat will be without Tyler Herro for a couple more weeks, but Bam Adebayo is keeping the train on the tracks.
On Saturday night against the Atlanta Hawks, Adebayo had another outstanding performance. The seventh-year pro has been impressive all season long, continuing his path to a third All-Star Game in 2023-24 with 26 points and 17 rebounds in a 117-109 win over the Hawks.
Adebayo shot 9-12 from the field and a perfect 8-8 from the free-throw line while chipping in four assists, two steals, and two blocks in his 39 minutes of action. Miami was also without star player Jimmy Butler due to personal reasons, but Adebayo stepped in to fill the multiple voids left open. The Heat led by as many as 21 points late in the first half before cruising down the stretch.
Adebayo, 26, is off to the best start of his NBA career through eight games this season. He’s averaging a career-best 23.1 points to go along with 10.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.6 blocks per outing while shooting 53.2 percent from the field and 80.0 percent from the free throw line on a career-best 8.1 attempts per game. Not only is Adebayo flexing his skills on offense, but he’s also showing out as arguably the league’s top overall defender.
Following a 1-4 start to the season, Adebayo and Miami (5-4) have bounced back since the start of November.
As for Herro, he was sidelined with a Grade 2 ankle sprain which he suffered during Miami’s Wednesday night victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. The former Kentucky guard rolled his ankle in the first quarter of that affair and did not return, saying afterward that he heard “crunches and cracks” in his ankle. The Heat announced on Thursday that Herro will reevaluated in two weeks.
Other BBNBA notes
- Chris Livingston saw the court for four minutes in the Milwaukee Bucks 112-97 blowout loss to the Orlando Magic, although he failed to record any stats. It was just the second in-game appearance for the rookie this season after he scored five points in five minutes during a 19-point loss to the Toronto Raptors on Nov. 1.
11/11/23 statistics
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | +/- | MIN |
| Bam Adebayo (MIA) | 117-109 W @ ATL | 26 | 9-12 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | -5 | 39 |
| Chris Livingston (MIL) | 112-97 L @ ORL | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 4 |
| Tyler Herro (MIA) | 117-109 W @ ATL | DNP-Ankle | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| TyTy Washington (MIL) | 112-97 L @ ORL | DNP-G League | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Today in the NBA
- 12:00 | Hornets (Richards, Washington) @ Knicks (Quickley, Randle)
- 3:00 | Wizards @ Nets
- 3:30 | Grizzlies @ Clippers (Boston: out)
- 6:00 | Pacers (Jackson, Tshiebwe: G League) @ 76ers (Maxey)
- 7:00 | Heat (Adebayo, Herro: out) @ Spurs (Johnson)
- 7:00 | Mavericks @ Pelicans
- 7:00 | Nuggets (Murray: out) @ Rockets
- 7:00 | Pistons (Knox) @ Bulls
- 8:00 | Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander, Sarr, Wallace) @ Suns (Booker: doubtful)
- 8:30 | Timberwolves (Towns) @ Warriors
- 10:00 | Trail Blazers (Sharpe) @ Lakers (Davis: probably, Vanderbilt: out)
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