MIAMI — The Miami Heat led the Washington Wizards by 25 points with 2:56 left. The game was essentially over, the outcome decided. And Bam Adebayo got called for an offensive foul that, under normal circumstances, would not have mattered.
These were not normal circumstances.
Adebayo already had 77 points on Tuesday night and the Heat wanted more. So, coach Erik Spoelstra emphatically challenged that offensive foul call. Every Heat player, assistant coach and staffer jumped off the bench, celebrating that decision. The challenge failed — refs got the call right — but it was clear what the moment meant to Miami.
Adebayo wound up scoring 83 points. It was the second-highest total by any player in any game in NBA history, passing Kobe Bryant’s 81 and trailing only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100.