Bam Adebayo scored 30 points and made a career-high six 3-pointers as the host Miami Heat knocked off the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, 122-120, on Saturday night.
Andrew Wiggins made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 31 seconds left, giving Miami a 122-120 lead. He got the assist from Norman Powell, who scored 19 points.
Reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 39 points, but his Thunder had their five-game win streak snapped.
Alex Caruso missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would’ve won the game for the Thunder. On Oklahoma City’s prior possession, Chet Holmgren failed to complete an alley-oop attempt.
Holmgren finished with a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds).
Adebayo made 6 of 10 3-pointers, adding 12 rebounds and four assists.
The Heat also got 16 points from Pelle Larsson and a game-high seven assists from rookie first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis, who fouled out with 1:50 remaining.
Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City’s third-leading scorer, left the game with 5:39 left in the second quarter due to an apparent right hamstring injury. He did not return, finishing the game with eight points in 14 minutes.
Miami played without three of its six most-used players in starters Davion Mitchell (shoulder) and Tyler Herro (big toe, rib), and leading reserve Jaime Jaquez Jr. (knee).
Oklahoma City, shooting a blistering 71.4% from the floor, 4-of-8 from 3-point range and making all three free throws, led 37-30 after the first quarter.
Miami cut its deficit to 65-60 by halftime as the Heat got help from seldom-used undrafted rookie Myron Gardner, who came off the bench and scored 11 points on 3-for-3 shooting from deep. Gardner hit all of his threes in just 64 seconds of game time.
The third quarter featured two lead changes and six tie scores, ending all knotted up at 95-95.
In the fourth quarter, the Thunder led 120-117 when Gilgeous-Alexander was called for an offensive foul with 1:14 left. Adebayo then made two free throws to cut Miami’s deficit to 120-119, and Wiggins followed with the game-winner on the next possession.
–Field Level Media
