With Saturday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs tied up at 103 apiece and only seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the Miami Heat inbounded the ball to star big man Bam Adebayo. Adebayo took two dribbles and then pulled up for a jumper, and the shot found the bottom of the net as the final buzzer sounded.
His teammates subsequently swarmed Adebayo after he helped Miami to its 24th victory of the 2024-25 season in dramatic fashion.
BAM GAME WINNER!!!! pic.twitter.com/OEdCjZxvnh
— Heat Nation (@HeatNationCom) February 2, 2025
Adebayo was asked about his clutch shot after the game and claimed that he’s dreamed of burying game-winning shots since he was a youngster.
“As a kid, you always dream of moments like that, in the backyard, ‘Three, two, one. Buzzer,'” Adebayo said. “And it just so happened that I’ve had a couple of those in my career.
“Being able to be in those situations and to actually get the job done is a great feeling, because my teammates and my coaches trust me to get the job done.”
The Spurs had no answer for Adebayo’s scoring prowess on Saturday. He led the way for the Heat with a team-high 30 points on 13-of-21 shooting from the field and 2-of-5 from deep.
Adebayo also contributed a lot more outside of scoring against Chris Paul and company, as he nearly finished with a triple-double with 12 rebounds and nine assists. As usual, he made his presence felt on the defensive end to boot, considering he totaled a pair of steals and three blocked shots.
The big man’s recent play suggests that he’s come to the realization that he might need to have a large role on the offensive end of the floor moving forward if Jimmy Butler has played his last game in Miami. That could very well be the case, as Butler has been suspended by the Heat three times in the month of January alone and is currently serving an indefinite suspension.
Saturday marked the third game in a row where Adebayo has finished with 20-plus points scored. He ended up with 21 in a loss to the mighty Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 29 and dropped 26 on 10-of-15 shooting from the field in a victory over the Orlando Magic on Jan. 27.
Hopefully, Adebayo can keep his streak of standout scoring performances going strong when the Heat play the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 4. The Bulls boast a record of 21-28 on the season but just recently picked up a win over the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 31 thanks to 46 combined points from Nikola Vucevic and Coby White.