The conventional wisdom for years has been that it would be a very long time before another NBA player scores 81 points in a game. Late Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant, of course, had 81 points in a January 2006 contest, and it has always stood as the utmost offensive explosion in modern league history.
But on Tuesday, one man surpassed that mark, and it was a somewhat unlikely candidate who did so: Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo. He put up 83 points in a 150-129 win over the Washington Wizards, shocking the rest of the league. Only Wilt Chamberlain, who once had 100 points in a game, has scored more points in one NBA contest.
Before the Lakers hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, LeBron James, who, of course, once played for the Heat, reacted to Adebayo’s eruption.
Adebayo reached 83 points in large part because he attempted 43 free throws and made 36 of them. He went 20-of-43 from the field and connected on seven of his 22 3-point attempts, and he also added nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.
When Bryant scored 81 points, he went 28-of-46 from the field, 7-of-13 from downtown and 18-of-20 from the charity stripe.
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