Bam Adebayo caps off Heat’s All-Star Weekend with All-Star Game win. A look at how Adebayo fared
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo’s third NBA All-Star Game appearance included his first All-Star Game start and a win, but not a lot of shots or points for himself.
Adebayo and the Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference 211-186 on Sunday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis to cap off All-Star Weekend. The East’s 211 points marked the most points scored in the game’s 73-year history.
But Adebayo, who is in his seventh NBA season, didn’t score many of them. He closed his third All-Star Game with three points on 1-of-2 shooting from the field, two rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes.
Adebayo’s three points and two field-goal attempts were the fewest among all the players who took part in Sunday’s showcase.
It’s the continuation of Adebayo’s string of quiet All-Star performances, as he has now totaled just 15 points on nine shots during his three All-Star Game appearances.
Despite being selected as an East reserve, Adebayo started Sunday as a replacement for injured Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid to become the first Heat player to start an All-Star Game since Dwyane Wade in 2016.
Adebayo’s only points of the night came on a pull-up three less than five minutes into the game after inbounding the ball off of Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic’s back and then dribbling into the shot. Adebayo recorded three points, two rebounds two assists while playing the first six minutes of the game before heading to the bench.
Adebayo, 26, didn’t score, grab a rebound or dish out an assist for the rest of the game.
Adebayo, who was the Heat’s lone representative in this season’s All-Star Game, is one of only six players in franchise history who have been voted into the All-Star Game three or more times as members of the Heat. The others are Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O’Neal, Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
Sunday marked the first time the East and West have faced off in the All-Star Game since 2017, with the past six seasons featuring mixed teams drafted by a captain from each conference. There was also no target score used on Sunday.
The return to the classic four-quarter East vs. West format produced a high-scoring game that included 67 made threes on 168 three-point attempts between the two teams — both new NBA All-Star Game records — and very little defense.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard was named the All-Star Game MVP, finishing with 39 points on 11-of-23 shooting from three-point range for the East.
Earlier on Sunday, two-way contract players Cole Swider and Alondes Williams represented the Heat in the G League Up Next Game at the Indiana Convention Center.
Williams continued to impress, scoring 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 shooting on threes, four rebounds and one assist to lead his team to the final of Sunday’s G League showcase four-team mini-tournament. Williams’ team ended up winning the G League Up Next title, throwing down a few flashy dunks along the way.
The Heat’s All-Star Weekend also included representation in Friday’s Rising Stars event (Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Williams) and Saturday’s Slam Dunk Contest (Jaquez was eliminated in the first round).
With All-Star Weekend coming to an end on Sunday, Adebayo and the others who represented the Heat in Indianapolis now have a few days off before returning to practice on Thursday in Miami. The Heat resumes its schedule on Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center.
This story was originally published February 18, 2024 at 10:46 PM.
