Apr 6, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during player introductions against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
NBA: Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers
(New York, NY) — Heat forward Bam Adebayo didn’t mince words when discussing his Game 2 performance against the Knicks on Tuesday.
“I just got to play better,” Adebayo said. “I feel like this game was on me, and I lost it for us. I’ve got to be better. I played terrible. I put this one on me.”
The shorthanded Heat fought hard against the Knicks, down both Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler due to injury, but ultimately came up short, losing 111-105.
“He doesn’t need to score 50 for us to win this game,” Miami Head Coach Eric Spoelstra said of Adebayo. “But he has to have his fingerprints all over this competition, and the way he does it is very similar to the way that Jimmy (Butler) does it. He has to do it on both ends with massive challenges for him to be able to defend everybody, anybody and all the schemes. Then offensively, all the scoring, the facilitating, all of that. But that’s what he wants.”
Adebayo, who has been playing through a strained left hamstring, finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists. He scored just to two points on a single shot in the pivotal fourth quarter.
The Heat and Knicks resume their series in Miami on Saturday for Game 3.
