It was a turnaround for Miami on Tuesday night. Bam Adebayo hit the big buckets. And Tyler Herro did it with defense.
Adebayo capped off his second career 30-15 game with a huge jumper as time wound down.
And just like they did in the final seconds against the Golden State Warriors last week, coach Joe Mazzulla chose not to call a timeout to set up a play. This time it backfired as Herro picked off a Jayson Tatum pass.
It’s only the fourth time Boston has lost while leading after three quarters. But Miami held them to just 13 points in the final quarter as Adebayo took control on the offensive and defensive ends.
He scored six straight points midway through the quarter to give the Heat a two-point lead, and they never trailed again.
Adebayo and Tatum put up nearly identical lines — Adebayo had 30 points and 15 rebounds, Tatum had 31 and 14 — in a game where each team was missing an All-Star guard (Jimmy Butler and Jaylen Brown).
Butler was ruled out with an illness before the game, disappointing a Jimmy Butler superfan who flew in from Argentina to see him.
In another surprise comeback, the kid got a bunch of presents and a visit to court to meet … Gabe Vincent? Look, you take what you can get.
It was a big win for the Heat, who held on to sixth place in the East. But with All-Star selections looming, it was also a big game for Adebayo, who made a compelling case for his spot on the team.
And if his dominant fourth quarter wasn’t clear enough, he made it explicit in his postgame interview.
