Bam Adebayo vs Lakers
In an early marquee matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, Bam Adebayo put together one of the best triple doubles in Heat history with 22 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists in an action-packed 108-107 victory against the Lakers.
Even though Anthony Davis ended up playing only 25 minutes due to suffering a hip injury, Adebayo had his moments against Davis, including hitting a three at the top of the key which ended up being a shot Adebayo often took later in the season.
It's a game changer if Bam Adebayo starts hitting 3s.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) November 7, 2023
Defenses will need to step up, opening even more driving lanes for him to create. pic.twitter.com/i91LudairR
Adebayo also had a phenomenal block on Davis who attempted to shoot a post fade-away. Adebayo then secured the rebound and led a fast break charge that resulted in a Jimmy Butler layup.
Our Miami Heat Midseason Awards 🔥
— Playbook Sports (@PlaybookSN) February 21, 2024
🏆 MVP - Bam Adebayo
45 GP, 35 MPG, 20 PPG, 11 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 2 TO, 51% FG, 78.4% FT
💥 Highlight Performance: 11/06/2023 Triple-Double vs Lakers
22 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks. Complete dominance on both… pic.twitter.com/sUf0pp9NGf
Throughout the game and especially to start the game, Miami ran a lot of action with the ball in Adebayo's hands, and Adebayo did a fantastic job at finding teammates on backdoor cuts for easy layups.
Initially, Adebayo would have put up the first 20 point, 20 rebound and 10 assist triple double in Heat history, but a rebound was taken away once the stat corrections were made the following day. Nevertheless, in a game that featured Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Jimmy Butler, Adebayo put together one of his best all-around performances of his career and helped propel the Heat to victory.