Basketball

Bam Adebayo puts up 30 as Heat handle

Bam Adebayo puts up 30 as Heat handle Grizzlies
Bam Adebayo puts up 30 as Heat handle Grizzlies
Bam Adebayo scored a season-high 30 points and added 11 rebounds to fuel the visiting Miami Heat to a 108-102 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.

Adebayo made 8 of 15 shots from the floor and 14 of 16 attempts from the free-throw line. That effort came on the heels of his 22-point, 19-rebound, 10-assist performance in the Heat’s 108-107 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.

Miami’s Kyle Lowry recorded 17 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists and Jimmy Butler added 15 points. Haywood Highsmith scored 14 points for the Heat, who recorded their third straight win overall and first on the road in four outings.

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The Heat’s Tyler Herro sustained a right ankle sprain after landing on the foot of Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. during the first quarter. Herro did not return to the contest, finishing with six points and two assists in eight minutes.

Jackson led Memphis by scoring 28 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the floor. Desmond Bane scored 15 points, Luke Kennard had 13 and Santi Aldama added 12 for the Grizzlies, who have lost seven of eight games this season and are 0-4 at home.

Aldama’s dunk trimmed Miami’s lead to 86-85 with 8:18 remaining in the fourth quarter before the Heat ignited a 13-3 run. Rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. converted a three-point play to begin that sequence, and he later stripped the ball from Jackson and made a layup.

Memphis cut the deficit down to three when Aldama sank a 3-pointer with 35.1 seconds remaining. Jaquez, however, countered with a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to effectively seal the win.

Memphis trimmed a nine-point deficit down to one at the end of the third quarter before Aldama sank a 3-pointer and Jackson added a floating jumper to begin the fourth, giving the Grizzlies an 81-77 lead. Adebayo answered with two free throws and a mid-range jumper to forge a tie at 81.

Jackson sandwiched a three-point play and a 3-pointer around Adebayo’s jumper to trim Miami’s lead to 65-64 with 7:49 remaining in the third quarter. Lowry and Highsmith each made a 3-pointer before the latter added a floater during an 8-0 run, but Jackson converted a three-point play to bring Memphis back within 77-76 at the end of the period.

This article first appeared on Field Level Media and was syndicated with permission.

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