Dominant Bam Adebayo leads Miami to their 2nd straight win

The Miami Heat pull out their second straight win at home against the Washington Wizards behind Bam Adebayo's monster 38 point 12 rebound performance.

This game started off a bit different from what we've been used to from the Miami Heat as they were outscored 38-28 in the first quarter. They couldn't do anything to stop the Wizards offensive flow from the start. Unlike in previous games, Miami was able to make adjustments and play competitive basketball the rest of the way outscoring Washington in every other quarter. Two big stats in this one was Miami winning the rebounding battle 47-45 and outscoring Washington in the paint 62-46. Neither of these become a reality if it wasn't for the activity and dominance of Bam Adebayo.

Without a doubt this was the most dominant game of Bams' career. The way in which he imposed his will on the offensive side of the court is something every Miami Heat fan has been wanting to see. The team was doing a great job of getting Bam involved early in this one and it got him into a rhythm. All his work was done inside the paint with an array of hook shots, post fadeaway's and of course emphatic dunks. It was probably the first time I felt like Bam was the only one that could get his own look the entire game. To be able to say that with 7'3" Kristaps Porzingis on the other side shows the kind of improvement Bam has made on the offensive end. Also needs to be mentioned that this was his most efficient game of the season as he shot 15-of-22 from the field and had zero turnovers. Many will talk about Bams' 41 point performance against Brooklyn as his best, but the way he took over in this one and found an answer on nearly every possession was something special to watch.

Same can be said about Caleb Martin, who finished with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, four rebounds, one assist and a steal. With the 24 points he scored on Wednesday, this marks the first time Martin has scored 20+ points in back to back games in his career. The development we've seen from him makes his 3 year, $20.5 million deal look like an absolute steal. Martin sealed this victory on his own as well. He hit two clutch free throws to give Miami a three point lead in the closing moments and then locked up Bradley Beal on the other end and forced him to take a tough fadeaway three that never even reached the rim. The way Caleb has been able to deliver for Miami in whatever way is needed from game to game is one of the most under the radar developments for this team.

Now, as for our starting backcourt, Kyle Lowry had another impactful game and was the floor general this team needed. Whenever the Heat started to look stagnant offensively, which has been a theme for them this season, Lowry was able to organize the team and initiate most of the actions. He had 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting, eight assists, seven rebounds, one steal and no turnovers. While his shooting slowed down a bit the impact he makes on the court certainly didn't. As for Tyler Herro he's still finding his way back after being out eight games with an ankle injury, but he was forcing a lot in this one. He was just one assist shy of tying his career high with 10, but he had five turnovers and shot the ball 4-of-18. It felt like Herro was responsible for the Wizards getting at least 10 points off turnovers or missed shots. Still, he competed defensively, rust has to be expected when coming off an injury and he had the second best +/- on the team behind Caleb with +8.

It hurts to say this, but Nikola Jovic has been given the Meyers Leonard role. He starts the opening stint of each half and is then subbed out, never to be seen on the court again. Jovic has averaged 13.5 minutes per game in Miami's last two wins while Haywood Highsmith (35.7) and even Jamal Cain (14.6) have seen more time on the floor. Hard to pinpoint exactly why this is the case because aside from his three point shooting (20.0%) Jovic has been better than anyone could have expected in every other aspect of his game. Rebounding, finishing, playmaking and defense have all been big positives. His perimeter defense can use work and I can understand the worry of him running out of gas having to cover ground in the 2/3 zone Miami runs on a consistent basis. I just enjoy his fit alongside the starting lineup and feel like it can open up a lot of things for Miami once Butler comes back and Martin takes the sixth man role. Food for thought.

Next up the Miami Heat will take on the Atlanta Hawks Sunday, November 27th at 5:00 PM EST at the State Farm Arena. Atlanta are coming off a brutal 128-122 loss to the Houston Rockets, where Houston outscored Atlanta 34-18 in the fourth quarter for the comeback win. The Hawks will surely be looking to bounce back, so the Heat are going to have to bring their A game with Jimmy Butler expected to miss his sixth straight game.