The Heat lead the Wizards 76–62 at the half on Tuesday night, thanks to an absolute heater of a performance by Miami center Bam Adebayo. The three-time All-Star has a career-high 43 points in just 19 minutes at the half, 31 of which he put up in an outrageous first-quarter performance, going 10-for-15 from the field. As a team, Washington managed just 29 first-quarter points.
According to StatMuse, Adebayo’s previous single-quarter high was 19 points in a 2021 game against the Clippers. He also smashed his career high for points in a half, which was 27 points in a ‘24 game against the Pacers. His previous full-game high was 41 points, against the Nets in a 2021 game.
With 43 points, Adebayo also put up the highest-scoring half in the NBA so far this season, topping Anthony Edwards’s 39 points in the second half of a January loss to the Spurs. Nikola Jokić’s Christmas Day 56-point triple-double for the Nuggets against the Timberwolves was the highest scoring game by any NBA player so far this season, until Adebayo bested it on Tuesday night.
As of publication, Adebayo has 57 points on 16-of-33 shooting (6-of-15 from three), knocking down 19-of-21 from the free throw line. He also has six rebounds, two steals and a block in the outing.
ALL OF BAM ADEBAYO FGM IN HIS 31 POINT FIRST QUARTER pic.twitter.com/QWPI4mORG3
— Heat Clips 🎬 (@MiamiClip) March 11, 2026
Adebayo did not only make personal history, but took a sledgehammer to the Heat franchise record book in the first half.
Bam Adebayo broke LeBron James’s record for most points in a quarter by a Heat player
LeBron James was on a tear in March 2014, and twice scored 25 points in a quarter for Miami—in the third quarter of a 124–107 win over the Hornets on March 3 and again in the first quarter 15 days later against his former and future team, the Cavaliers, in a 100–96 win. Adebayo’s electric first quarter on Tuesday breaks James’s Heat record by six points.
James finished with 61 in the game against Charlotte, which remains his career high.
Adebayo’s 43 first-half points, also a Miami record, puts him on pace to break Kobe Bryant’s famous 81-point game, though it will be very difficult for him to keep that pace against the lowly Wizards, especially as coach Erik Spoelstra steals some rest for his star center in the second half.
Bam's first half ...
-- 43 points (already his game career high)
-- Heat record for 1st quarter (was 25)
-- Heat record for any quarter (was 25)
-- Heat record for 1st half (was 31)
-- Heat record for any half (was 37)
-- Highest scoring NBA first half in 26 months
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) March 11, 2026
What’s at stake for Miami
At 36–29, the Heat are virtually deadlocked with the Magic for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, the final team to avoid the play-in tournament. Orlando is 35–28, and has a slight edge by win percentage. The Magic next play on Wednesday against the Bucks.
If Miami holds on, they’ll score their sixth consecutive win. The Hawks have won six straight and are en route to a seventh consecutive win as they lead the Mavericks 87–74 late in the third quarter as of publication. The Spurs have also won six straight, but trail the Celtics in the second quarter on Tuesday in what is probably the best game of the night in the NBA.
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