Adebayo’s astonishing performance surpassed the 81 points scored by Kobe Bryant for the Los Angeles Lakers against Toronto in 2006, and is second only to Wilt Chamberlain’s iconic 100-point haul against the New York Knicks in 1962.
Adebayo had served a notice that a special performance could be on the cards with an electric first quarter, where he poured in 31 points from 10-of-16 shooting.
By half-time he had reached 43 points, and he kept the pedal down after the interval with 19 points in the third quarter to take his tally to 62.
At that point it became a question of whether Adebayo could threaten Bryant’s 20-year-old tally of 81 points.
Adebayo duly eclipsed that record late in the fourth quarter. Two free throws saw him draw level with Bryant’s total, and two more took him to 83 with just over a minute remaining.
That was the cue for Adebayo to be subbed out, leaving the court to a standing ovation from a disbelieving home crowd at Miami’s Kaseya Center.
“Man I wish I could relive it twice,” Adebayo said afterwards, saying his individual masterpiece would not have been possible without the support of family, fans and his team-mates.
“I couldn’t do it without them. Somebody had to pass me the ball. I appreciate coach for drawing up plays for me and I got it going tonight.”
Adebayo admitted he had sensed a historic performance was beckoning after his first-half display, ranking it as the highpoint of his career.
“This is number one, for sure,” Adebayo said. (AFP)
Edited by Raymond Yeung
