Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo had a first quarter for the ages on Tuesday against the Washington Wizards.
The 3-time All-Star known for his defensive prowess showed off on the other side of the floor in front of a home crowd at Kaseya Center in Miami, Fla. Adebayo started to sizzle early with the Heat’s first seven points of the contest, and 14 of their first 16 halfway through the period.
Washington was helpless in trying to slow Adebayo down. The Heat star stayed white-hot with 15 more points before the first quarter came to an end. Adebayo’s final line: 31 points on 10/16 shooting, 5/8 from three-point range, and 6/7 from the free throw line.
BAM ADEBAYO.
— NBA (@NBA) March 11, 2026
31 POINTS IN 1 QUARTER.
5th highest-scoring quarter in play-by-play era 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Bz0YwowoEK
Adebayo outscored the Wizards 31-29 by himself as the Heat led 40-29 entering the second quarter. He shattered the Heat franchise record of 25 points in a quarter set by LeBron James over a decade ago. Bam’s total was the fifth-highest in a quarter in the play-by-play era.
Adebayo kept it going in the second quarter. The All-Star center tacked on 12 more points to finish with 43 points at the half, already surpassing his career high of 41 with two more quarters to play.
