The Miami Heat defeated the Utah Jazz, 118-115, on Saturday night.
After the game, Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell shouted out Bam Adebayo on Instagram. The Heat All-Star responded by sharing the story and calling Mitchell his “MF dawg.”
Even though they may be fierce rivals on the court, the two rising stars have certainly developed a strong friendship off of it. Last year, Mitchell shared how much he was inspired by Adebayo after the two worked out together.
Then, late in the 2020-21 season, the shooting guard reacted to Adebayo hitting a game-winning buzzer beater against the Brooklyn Nets in a thrilling regular season game.
Adebayo has developed into one of the league’s best big men. This season, he is currently averaging 19.4 points and 12.0 rebounds per game.
He has been instrumental in the Heat’s strong start to kick off the 2021-22 season. They are 7-2 and trail only the Philadelphia 76ers by one win for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
Miami came close to falling to 6-3 in the standings during its thriller against the Jazz. After owning a large lead in the fourth quarter, the Heat allowed Utah to rally and cut the lead to just one point with 11.5 seconds remaining in the game.
The Heat sealed the win after two late free throws by Jimmy Butler and a missed 3-pointer by Mitchell on the next possession.
Adebayo played well in the match, tallying 17 points, six rebounds and six assists. The Heat were led by Tyler Herro’s 29 points and Kyle Lowry’s triple-double effort.