SportyTV | NBA: Heat's Adebayo scores 83 points for second-best scoring total in league history

Bam Adebayo erupted for a whopping 83 points, the second-best scoring effort in NBA history, to carry the Miami Heat to a 150-129 win over the lowly Washington Wizards on Tuesday night.

Adebayo had 31 points in the first quarter, 43 by halftime and 62 by the end of the third quarter. He finished 20 for 43 from the field, 36 for 43 from the foul line and 7 for 22 from 3-point range.

Adebayo's free throw makes and attempts both set NBA records for a game. The record for attempts was 39 by Dwight Howard – who got to the line that many times on two occasions. The record for free throws made in a game was 28, set by Wilt Chamberlain and Adrian Dantley.

Chamberlain got the 28 free throws on the night he scored 100 points in 1962 – the only game better than Adebayo in NBA history. Adebayo passed his basketball idol, Kobe Bryant, for the second-highest scoring game ever; Bryant's career-best was 81, set against Toronto on Jan. 22, 2006.

LeBron James had the previous Heat single-game scoring mark; his 61-point effort against Charlotte came on March 3, 2014. Denver's Nikola Jokic had the previous season high in the NBA this season with 56.

Adebayo passed them both in the third quarter and just kept going.

Simone Fontecchio scored 18 points for Miami, which has won six straight and moved a season-best eight games over .500. The Heat were without Norman Powell (groin), Tyler Herro (quadriceps), Nikola Jovic (back) and Andrew Wiggins (toe).

Alex Sarr had 28 points for the Wizards, who were without Trae Young – held out with right knee injury management. Will Riley added 22 and Jaden Hardy scored 17 for Washington, which has lost nine straight.

Wilt. Bam. Kobe. pic.twitter.com/rg1w3DG8xv
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) March 11, 2026

Spurs beat Celtics after Brown ejected

Victor Wembanyama tied a career high with eight 3-pointers and had 39 points and 11 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs beat Boston 125-116 to sweep a contentious two-game season series with the Celtics.

De'Aaron Fox had 25 points and Stephon Castle added 18 points in San Antonio's fifth straight victory.

Derrick White had 34 points to lead Boston, which had won two straight. Jayson Tatum had 24 points in his third game since returning from a ruptured right Achilles tendon suffered May 12.

Tatum’s fourth and final 3-pointer cut the Celtics' deficit to 118-113 with 1:43 remaining, but Castle followed 18 seconds later with his own 3 to secure the victory.

The battle between the No. 2 teams in each conference was physical and chippy.

Boston All-Star Jaylen Brown was ejected after becoming incensed when no foul was called after he lost the ball out of bounds with 3:42 remaining in the first half.

Brown had to be restrained by teammates after official Tyler Ford assessed the first technical. Official Suyash Mehta assessed a second technical seconds later, resulting in an automatic ejection.

THREE POINTERS FOR WEMBY!

@FanDuelSN_SW, @NBAonNBC pic.twitter.com/xhtHNPbDUi
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) March 11, 2026

Streaking Hawks defeat Mavericks

Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 29 points, Jalen Johnson had 27 and the Atlanta Hawks won their seventh in a row, holding off the Dallas Mavericks 124-112.

The Hawks, who have the NBA's longest active winning streak, led nearly the entire game but couldn't pull away from the Mavericks until the final period.

Dallas tied the score at 97 on Khris Middleton's step-back jumper with just over nine minutes remaining. Atlanta took control from there to hand Dallas its eighth straight loss.

Alexander-Walker hit two straight 3-pointers in the closing minutes to put the game away.

Dallas rookie Cooper Flagg was held to 14 points on 6-of-16 shooting, shadowed most of the night by the Hawks' top defensive player, Dyson Daniels.

Daniels also had plenty of work at the offensive end with 14 points and 10 assists, reaching 1,000 field goals in his career. Onkeya Okongwu chipped in with 18 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.

This is the Hawks' longest winning streak since a pair of seven-game runs during the 2021-22 season. Six of their victories during the streak have come at home, pushing the Hawks to .500 at home (16-16) for the first time since they were 4-4 in late November.