MIAMI (AP) \u2014 Bam Adebayo’s encore performance: 21 points.<\/p>\n
Adebayo \u2014 in the game after his 83-point outburst<\/a> \u2014 settled for 62 fewer points<\/a> Thursday night, when he and the Miami Heat defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 112-105<\/a> for their seventh consecutive win.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Adebayo’s stat line: 6 for 20 from the field, 9 for 13 from the foul line and 0 for 5 from 3-point range in 35 minutes.<\/p>\n And he was exhausted, as would be expected.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be able to move onto the next game, get the win and figure it out in a different way … it wasn\u2019t 83 tonight. It was 21,\u201d Adebayo said, describing the 48 hours between Tuesday’s game and Thursday’s game as an emotional roller-coaster. \u201cAnd if anybody\u2019s upset, I don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n It was nothing like the 20-for-43 shooting from the field,<\/a> 36-for-43 from the foul line, 7-for-22 from 3-point range effort that he turned in Tuesday in a win over the Washington Wizards for the No. 2 single-game scoring effort \u2014 behind only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point night \u2014 in NBA history.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n But he came up big when Miami needed it the most, getting 12 of his points in the fourth quarter against the Bucks.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has the ultimate mental toughness, and that\u2019s what separates the great competitors in this league,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I\u2019m not talking about the great scorers, just the great winning players. Just lock in on the task at hand, regardless of what\u2019s happened for the first three quarters, whether it\u2019s gone according to plan, whether it has gone smoothly or not.\u201d<\/p>\n Pelle Larsson had a career-high 28 points and Kasparas Jaku\u010dionis scored 18 for Miami, and those efforts were needed.<\/p>\n \u201cMan, I’m thankful for my teammates,\u201d Adebayo said. \u201cThey stepped up in a big way. … Tonight it was Pelle and Kas, and sort of me.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The Heat had a slew of celebrations in Adebayo\u2019s honor, some of which started Wednesday when the team unveiled $83 jerseys, $13 tickets (in honor of his actual jersey number) and even started assembling Adebayo No. 83 jerseys.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven’t seen them yet,\u201d Adebayo said.<\/p>\n They exist, and as he walked out of the locker room Thursday night some fans at the other end of a corridor saw him. They starting yelling right away.<\/p>\n Not his name. They were yelling \u201c83.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou live in the moment,” Adebayo said. \u201cEvery time you get a chance to see it, hear it, you grasp it.\u201d<\/p>\n On the concourses Thursday \u2014 from the time the doors opened until, of course, 8:30 p.m. \u2014 the team was selling 83-cent popcorn, chips or can of soda at some kiosks, and an $8.30 meal deal that included a hot dog, popcorn and fountain drink.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cYou feel awesome for Bam,” Spoelstra said. “You feel so great for his story, how he\u2019s gotten to this point. And you feel great for his family, his mom, A’ja (Wilson, his four-time WNBA MVP girlfriend),<\/a> his whole circle. Just quality human beings. They make you want to root for that whole team.\u201d<\/p>\n Adebayo remains the only player in the NBA to have 100 points in a two-game span this season. He’s actually done it twice: he had 24 points in the game before the 83-pointer (for a 107-point total) and now has a 104-point, two-game stretch as well.<\/p>\n His showing Tuesday was still the talk of the league on Thursday, and Bucks coach Doc Rivers thinks it’s a night that will be talked about for a long time.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was just one of those rare nights where a great guy \u2014 that\u2019s what Bam is \u2014 had a great night and it was all good,” Rivers said. “That\u2019s the way I looked at it.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n