Bam Adebayo's request for Heat after OT win over Raptors

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As the Miami Heat are coming off the All-Star break, the team starts the last chunk of the season with a bang as they beat the Toronto Raptors in overtime, 120-111. Led by the Heat’s lone All-Star in Tyler Herro and newcomer Andrew Wiggins, the team’s big man in Bam Adebayo would speak after the game about what needs to be cleaned up.

While Miami gained the victory on Friday night, it was another concerning display where the team gained an early double-digit lead but would lose it in the second half with Toronto taking the lead at one point late in the contest. There have been many games where the group would lose the game altogether, but this time around, it ended in a win where Adebayo emphasized how they “have to stop scaring” themselves according to The Miami Herald.

"Man, we have to stop scaring ourselves like that," Adebayo said. "We have to stop doing that. Great win to kick off post-All-Star. Great win for us. We had to do that on the defensive end. We got stops and that's what mattered in OT."

Heat’s Andrew Wiggins on the win being “full of surprises”

It was the best game so far for Heat newcomer Andrew Wiggins in the new uniform as he finished with 25 points on nine for 19 shooting from the field to go along with eight rebounds, two steals, and one assist. You can tell that one of the goals in this game was to get Wiggins activated as he was crucial along with Herro and Adebayo to stabilize the contest when it was getting dicey in the second half.

"The game was full of surprises," Wiggins said. "Ups and downs. One team goes on a run, the other team goes on a run. It was a close battle."

A win was desperately needed for Miami since they entered the All-Star break on a four-game losing skid where the last victory was on Feb. 5 against the Philadelphia 76ers. After the Heat traded away Jimmy Butler and gained some new players, the group had been working to get everybody acclimated as head coach Erik Spoelstra would say after the game that there is now “more clarity.”

"Now that there's more clarity, role clarity, role definition, guys will get more comfortable and confident," Spoelstra said.

Heat’s Bam Adebayo continues to make history

Looking at the performance from the Heat’s captain in Adebayo, he finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds, giving him another double-double which is his 221st in his career. That mark ties Rony Seikaly for the team record where one more for Adebayo and he achieves history.

"It's good to tie," Adebayo said. "I got to pass you at some point, Seikaly. I'm sorry you got to be second."

Up next for Adebayo is the all-time rebounds mark in Miami history as he needs five more to tie Alonzo Mourning for second place at 4,807, but his mentor Udonis Haslem has the most with 5,791. There is no doubt he’ll get there at some point, but he is more focused on leading his team to victory at the current moment.

How the Heat’s bench rotation looked like

The team’s rotation looked different in Toronto as while Spoelstra played Terry Rozier, Kyle Anderson, Nikola Jovic, and Alec Burks off the bench, this left Jaime Jaquez Jr., Haywood Highsmith, and Pelle Larsson with no time. Spoelstra says it will be a game-by-game approach.

"It could differ game to game," Spoelstra said. "But we want to create a little bit of clarity, as much as we can right now. And everybody just has to stay ready. We have to make some things happen and it will be all hands on deck. We feel very comfortable with our depth and we saw that depth."

It was also a reunion for multiple people as Heat newcomer Davion Mitchell played his old team in the Raptors and current Toronto center Orlando Robinson caught up with his former teammates.

"That's his NBA ability is perseverance and his work ethic," Spoelstra said of Robinson. "He will just continue to grind and work, and that's why we thought he was a great fit with us and that's why I always respect guys like that. … I think this is a good fit for him here because they do value player development and he's all about the work. So I continue to root for him."

Miami is now 26-28 which puts them eighth in the East as they next face the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.

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