The Miami Heat snapped a four-game losing streak with a hard-fought 120-111 overtime win against the Toronto Raptors after the NBA All-Star Weekend. Despite the much-needed victory, team leader Bam Adebayo wasn’t entirely satisfied with how the game unfolded.
While the win provided the Heat with a boost in their push for playoff positioning, the performance raised concerns. Miami held a double-digit lead for much of the game, but the Raptors stormed back and nearly stole the win in regulation.
With 45 seconds left, Toronto led by three points. A foul by RJ Barrett on Andrew Wiggins during a three-point attempt gave the Heat an opportunity to force overtime.
Miami bounced back in the extra period, outscoring Toronto 13-4 to secure the victory. However, Adebayo wasn’t content with the way his team handled the game and sent a clear message to his teammates.
“Man, we have to stop scaring ourselves like that,” Adebayo said, via The Miami Herald. “We have to stop doing that. Great win to kick off post-All-Star. Great win for us. We had to do that on the defensive end. We got stops and that’s what mattered in OT”.
Adebayo sets Heat record in the win
In the nail-biting victory, Adebayo recorded 19 points and 12 rebounds, marking the 221st double-double of his career. With that, he tied Rony Seikaly for the franchise record.
After the game, Adebayo joked about surpassing Seikaly’s mark. “It’s good to tie,” Adebayo said. “I got to pass you at some point, Seikaly. I’m sorry you got to be second”.
Spoelstra praises Wiggins’ key contributions
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra highlighted Andrew Wiggins’ crucial role in the win, particularly with Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo being tightly defended. Wiggins stepped up offensively, allowing Miami to regain its footing.
“Yeah, it was really important,” Spoelstra said of Wiggins’ impact. “You know, they were draped all over Tyler, and we actually were able to get some pretty good mileage on the two-man action between Tyler and Bam. But then they were loading up, so we were just, you know, throwing the ball to Wiggs and letting him make some plays. And he had two really good post-ups going down the stretch”.