MIAMI – As the Miami Heat are amidst an inconsistent season, looking to turn their season around, Wednesday could be a great starting point after snapping a three-game skid and beating the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, 127-121. One aspect that had been down on the Heat was the struggles with captain Bam Adebayo that had been happening for a few weeks, though he bounced back hugely, crediting A'ja Wilson.
Entering Tuesday's contest, Adebayo had been averaging 11.4 points per game while shooting 37.1 percent from the field and 21.7 percent (5-23) from beyond the arc over his last 11 games. Tuesday was a different story, as he would record a game-high 29 points on 11 of 15 shooting from the field, four of six from deep, to go along with nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
With the performance, Adebayo is now the second-all time leading scorer in franchise history at 9,461, passing Alonzo Mourning (9,459).
This was the prime two-way game that fans were used to seeing from Adebayo before the two-week slump, as it was equally exciting to see the star lead Miami in the fourth quarter, where it was a close game. There was a stretch where he went on his own 8-0 run to help propel them to victory.
Adebayo would be asked who he contacted during the slump to get advice, as, besides mentioning team greats Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem, he would make a subtle nod to Wilson.
“I mean, one of them lives with me,” Adebayo said, referencing Wilson, who he's in a relationship with. “But obviously when you're frustrated, you contact some guys that are scorers, like D-Wade…UD [Haslem] because, you know, I see myself as, like, the mix between them both…”
Bam Adebayo talked about who he contacted during his slump to get advice.
"One of them lives with me…,” obviously in reference to A’ja Wilson.
Also mentioned Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem. Full answer below.
Via @HeatCulture13 #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/SLoWkj2xBL
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) January 14, 2026
Heat's Bam Adebayo on getting over the offensive slump
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) reacts after scoring against the Phoenix Suns during the fourth quarter at Kaseya Center.
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
As the relationship between the Heat star in Adebayo and Wilson, a WNBA superstar for the Las Vegas Aces, has been well-documented, there is no doubt that each brings an intensity on the court. Which is why it was concerning to see the offensive struggles for Adebayo the past few weeks.
However, while there's no denying the slump he had offensively, he was still impacting the game in every other aspect, especially defensively, which Adebayo mentioned to ClutchPoints after Tuesday's win.
“That's one of those two-way performances that I'm capable of, and that's the thing a lot of people care about the last column,” Adebayo said. “But throughout this offensive slump, I've still been doing the defensive part. We're still ranked the third-best defense, and nobody's talking about that. They're just talking about my offense. Obviously, it feels great to see the ball go in, and I've been through a slump for probably two weeks.”
“And you don't overreact to it. You know, when you're in this league long enough, you see some of the greats go through slumps, and being able to obviously reach out, talk to people, and then just quiet the noise a little bit, you kind of have that out-of-body experience, and it just becomes a spark at some point. And you know, that was that spark tonight,” Adebayo continued.
Asked Bam about his bounce-back game.
"I’ve been in a slump for two weeks but you don't overreact to it. You see some of the greats go through slumps…" #HeatNation
Via @HeatCulture13 pic.twitter.com/G4O7A6YgeA
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) January 14, 2026
Heat's Erik Spoelstra on the “karma” that affected Bam Adebayo
It was a chippy game against the Suns, with multiple instances where there was a stoppage of play to sort things out, especially when Adebayo held back Heat star Norman Powell from potentially charging at controversial forward Dillon Brooks. Still, it gave Miami major momentum going into the fourth quarter after another instance of the team losing its edge in the third period, a time when the Heat's once 20-point lead evaporated.
Adebayo and Powell would lead Miami in the fourth, especially the former on both sides of the ball, which not only included 13 points in the final frame, but key defensive plays like forcing two turnovers to give the team a chance to take back momentum.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra would speak on the “karma” that Adebayo received, also expressing how he had a “Defensive Player of the Year type performance.”
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“And I thought Bam was a massive part of that. He forced those two turnovers,” Spoelstra said. “We were kind of stuck in the mud, and that was like a Defensive Player of the Year type performance throughout the course of the game, he was doing everything on pick and roll, whether he was zoning on pick and rolls, staying in the basket or switching, sometimes not switching, getting guys through, he was kind of just orchestrating our whole defense and then coming back to rebound.”
“And then, of course, the big threes down the stretch, the ball found the right karma,” Spoelstra continued. “You know, I thought he earned it, you know, to have a great night. He just really did, how he was just pouring so much of his effort and intensity into the game, and hit those two clutch threes. And it was just awesome to see it.”
Erik Spoelstra spoke about the “positive teaching points” from the win over PHX and how they overcame another poor third quarter.
Plus, Bam Adebayo’s huge outing.
"That was a DPOY type performance…The ball found the right karma…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/gxU6JXngcu
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) January 14, 2026
Heat's Tyler Herro, Norman Powell on Bam Adebayo's bounce-back game
With the Heat needing to bounce back after a dreadful road trip that included losing all three games disappointingly, Adebayo helped lead to a much-needed win. Adebayo got to his spots more, helped by the team adding in a few pick-and-rolls, with Miami looking to find a balance on offense.
While the shots were going in, his teammates had seen the other areas he was impacting, as Tyler Herro explained to ClutchPoints.
“Obviously, everyone recognizes the points and the threes and the big shots that he made, but I feel like he did all the little things, he wasn't worried about scoring, and then it's just like karma to it,” Herro said after scoring 23 points against the Suns. “You do all the right things on defense, you're doing all the right things in the gaps, in between, and then you get a shot, you're not thinking like, ‘I got to make it.' Just comes naturally, much like he was playing at the beginning of the year.”
Asked Tyler Herro about Bam Adebayo’s bounce-back game.
“I think everyone recognizes the points and the threes and the big shots that he made but I feel like he did all the little things. He didn’t worry about scoring and then it’s just like a karma to it…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/xwgOoK46HG
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) January 14, 2026
The same sentiments were echoed by Powell, also revealing the message he would keep saying to Adebayo during the slump.
“My message to him is to keep going,” Powell said. “I told him even last game, it don't matter if you make or miss, they're empty calories,” Powell said. “I just tell him to clear his head and just hoop. He knows what he can do. We know the player he is. It's just clearing his mind and making the plays in front of him.”
Norman Powell on what he’s been telling Bam Adebayo during his slump ahead of his big night.
"My message to him is to keep going…I just tell him to clear his head and hoop. He knows what he can do. We know the player he is…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/wc03zDpwHb
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) January 14, 2026
At any rate, Adebayo looks to stack effective outings, with the next game being a key one, as Miami, now at 21-19, defends its home court when the Boston Celtics visit on Thursday night.