Bam Adebayo
Getty
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo reached 10,000 career points against the Detroit Pistons.
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo continues to shatter personal records. Just three games after he passed Udonis Haslem to become the Heat’s all-time defensive rebounding leader, Adebayo reached 10,000 career points.
During the Heat’s 1211-110 win over the Detroit Pistons, he joined Dwyane Wade as the only Heat player to reach the milestone with the franchise.
“It means a lot from someone who got drafted to play defense,” Adebayo told the media with a smile. “Everybody thinks I was just a lob threat. But it just shows the growth of my game. Obviously, this organization believes in me. I’ve been here that long that I can get to 10k points with the same team. To be in the history books to be behind somebody like D-Wade is a great accomplishment.”
Adebayo didn’t just reach a personal milestone against the Pistons, but was an important part of leading the team to one of their most important wins of the season.
He finished the game with 24 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists with a plus/minus of +13.
“Let’s keep handling our business on the defensive end,” Adebayo said. “That’s why we’re really winning games. We’re getting stops and running in transition, and it makes our offense easier.”
The Miami Heat are Getting Closer to Pulling Themselves out of the Play-in
Both Bam Adebayo and Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra have emphasized on multiple occasions the importance of avoiding the play-in tournament.
Following the Heat’s win over the Detroit Pistons, the team briefly jumped into the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, before the Orlando Magic’s 130-91 win over the Milwaukee Bucks put the Heat back in the seventh seed.
However, the Heat were still able to create a full game of separation between the eighth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers.
The Heat will play the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, March 10, in a winnable game that would give the Heat the chance to pull themselves out of the play-in.
“It’s not a secret what we’re trying to do,” Spoelstra told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald about staying out of the play-in. “We’ve got to win games. You’ve got to do it one at a time.”
The Heat have participated in the play-in tournament for three consecutive seasons. Being a top six seed would represent a step forward for a Heat team that’s been seemingly stuck.
The Miami Heat Have Overcome Injuries to Major Players During Five-Game win Streak
The Miami Heat have won five consecutive games dating back to a 115-105 win over the Houston Rockets on February 28.
What’s even more impressive, however, is that the majority of the win streak has come without two major contributors.
Heat guard Norman Powell has missed five consecutive games with a right groin injury, while Heat forward Andrew Wiggins has missed two straight games with a toe injury.
Powell is listed as week-to-week, and Erik Spoelstra opened up about when the Heat could see Wiggins back on the court.
“He’s dealing with both things right now that we think we can clear up in the short term,” Spoelstra said. “And we’ll just see. He’s getting a lot of treatment, so that’s definitely helping him and he’s making some progress.”