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After a lackluster start to the 2022-23 NBA season, the Miami Heat have started to find their footing. Their December 28 112-98 win over the Los Angeles Lakers made Miami winners of six of their last eight games. The team is now back above .500 and sits just a half game behind the sixth place Indiana Pacers.
Following the victory, star center Bam Adebayo took a friendly shot at teammate Max Strus while speaking to the media. When Adebayo was asked whether or not he purposely dunked on Strus late in the third quarter, he laughed.
“Yeah I seen him. It was on purpose. … That’s why I did all this (raise the roof celebration), because I dunked on Max,” the 25-year-old joked.
Those two points were just a small piece of the monster night Adebayo put together against the Lakers. He poured in 23 points on an efficient 10-16 from the field, while ripping down an impressive 14 rebounds in a team-high 39 minutes.
Adebayo is piecing together yet another All-Star caliber season in Miami, through his first 31 appearances for the Heat this year. He is averaging a career-high 20.9 points to go along with 9.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. His double-double against LA marked his 16th of the campaign, and tied him with teammate Udonis Haslem for fourth on Miami’s all-time double-double list.
Udonis Haslem Trolled by Heat Teammate at Jersey Retirement
Haslem has had a long, illustrious career with the Miami Heat, winning three titles along the way. The 2022-23 season marks his 20th and final year in South Beach, setting him up to have his No. 40 raised to the rafters sometime soon. The 42-year-old ranks second to only Dwyane Wade in games played for the franchise with 877 and is seventh in total points with 6,562.
The Heat won’t be the only ones who will retire the three-time NBA champion’s jersey. On December 27, Haslem was honored by Miami High School, where he won two state championships while playing his high school ball, according to the Miami Herald. Haslem had his No. 50 raised to the rafters that night before the school’s boys basketball team tipped off their holiday invitational tournament.
Haslem’s Heat teammates made the trip to the ceremony in support of the 20-year veteran. While at the event, Jimmy Butler took the opportunity to poke some fun at the honoree. Butler posted a photo in an Instagram Story showing two of the school’s banners, representing championships from 1925 and 1931, joking that Haslem was playing high school ball back then, according to a screenshot from Bleacher Report.
Lowry Set to Return to Heat
As Miami headed out west to take on the Denver Nuggets December 30, Kyle Lowry looked set to return to the starting lineup. The 36-year-old missed the December 28 matchup against the Lakers due to personal reasons.
Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel reported December 29 that Lowry traveled with the team as they departed for a five-game road trip. Later in the day, the Heat released the injury report for Friday’s game in Denver, which did not include Lowry.
The six-time All-Star is averaging 14.4 points, 6 assists, and 4.8 rebounds in 30 games for the Heat this season.
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