Bam Adebayo? 83 points? Also, a wild Tuesday elsewhere

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Good morning! Be unexpected today. Inside: 

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Wait, What Happened? A shocking Tuesday, indeed

There are days on the sports calendar you expect to shine. The upcoming NCAA Tournament is one. A big fall Saturday of college football. MLB Opening Day. But then there are days we absolutely don’t expect to see madness, namely, a Tuesday in March. 

But last night went hard. Just look: 

1. Bam Adebayo — Bam Adebayo! — scored 83 points.
In a 150-129 Heat win, Adebayo, a very good player to be clear, claimed second place on the single-game scoring list by pouring in 83 points against the Wizards. He scored 31 in the first quarter and finished with 43 attempts from the field and from the free-throw line. The latter is an NBA record. 

Adebayo’s career high coming into last night? Forty-one points. The nine-year vet more than doubled it. Now, here he sits in history: 

• Wilt Chamberlain, 1962: 100 points
• Bam Adebayo, 2026: 83 points
• Kobe Bryant, 2006: 81 points

It’s difficult to process, frankly. But it’s also awesome (fellow players agree). We saw NBA history on a random Tuesday. If you want more jarring stats from the evening, read this story. We also have a video every point Adebayo scored.

We have more incredulity to cover.

2. Crosby trade nixed
Remember the massive blockbuster trade from the weekend that sent superstar rusher Maxx Crosby from Las Vegas to Baltimore? That deal went poof last night after Crosby failed his physical. Yowza.

Crosby, who had surgery on his knee last season but is not expected to miss any time in 2026, has been in Baltimore most of the week, per our reporting. His agent posted a statement last night claiming that “if anything (Crosby) is ahead of schedule” in his recovery. 

It’s all very awkward, frankly, on both ends. The Raiders will probably still move Crosby at some point this offseason. And it’s easy to wonder what other teams think about working with the Ravens going forward. Read our full update here.

3. Team USA might get bounced today.
A real, actual thing that might happen in the World Baseball Classic. Italy upset the Americans last night, 8-6, in a shocking turn that leaves the host nation needing help today just to advance out of pool play. 

This is an American team hyped as the best WBC roster we’ve seen. Aces left MLB camps to make starts. Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Roman Anthony all provided fearsome bats. And yet they lost to a team we had in the fourth tier of our pre-tournament rankings. 

• Especially crushing: Harper and Judge both came to the plate in the final two innings with a chance to tie the game. 0-2.
  
• To advance, the Americans need Italy to either beat Mexico today (7 p.m. ET on Tubi) or score at least six runs in a loss. It’s a complex equation we explained here. 

Out of breath? I am. Someone also had to explain all this to Team USA manager Mark DeRosa, too, after he said on TV yesterday that his team had already clinched a spot in the quarterfinals.

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News to Know

Kornet has no Magic regrets
Luke Kornet’s journalism career has gone from a fun story to impactful and even slightly controversial in about a week’s time. Last week, we were fawning over an NBA role player’s outside interests; then, Kornet wrote a blog post requesting the NBA scrap a planned promotion from the Hawks with Magic City, a famous strip club in Atlanta. The league acquiesced, and Kornet said yesterday the move felt “appropriate.” See his comments here.

In the WAC, unexpected drama
The Utah Valley State men’s basketball team is the No. 1 seed in the WAC tournament, which tips off tomorrow with a direct path to the NCAA Tournament on the line. Except the conference threatened to banish both the men’s and women’s Wolverine teams from the tournament over a legal dispute, as the school plans to leave for the Big West next year. The dispute was resolved after a $1 million escrow payment was verified and approved late yesterday afternoon. How bizarre. Read the full drama here.

More news:

• Luka Dončić announced he and his fiancée have separated and that he will pursue custody of his two daughters, who live in Slovenia. More here.
  
• BYU phenom AJ Dybantsa scored 40 points on 15-of-21 shooting in an incredible opening performance in the Big 12 tournament.
  
• Blue Jays pitcher José Berríos will not join Team Puerto Rico at the World Baseball Classic after having more issues with insurance. The news came after the team announced earlier in the day he would play. Read our full story.
  
• Thunder forward Lu Dort apologized to Nikola Jokić after his second flagrant foul on the three-time MVP in 10 days. Probably necessary.
  
• Prosecutors dropped the domestic violence and battery charge against Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore. More details inside.
  
• Super agent Casey Wasserman’s agency is rebranding without his name attached following controversy over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

📰 Find more news here 24/7.

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Watch Guide

📺 UCL: Manchester City at Real Madrid
4 p.m. ET on Paramount+
This is arguably the highest-profile matchup of the day, with apologies to Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16. See today’s full slate here. 

📺 WBC: Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela
8 p.m. ET on FS1
Pure gas. Both of these teams are stacked with talent and flair. Both are undefeated in Pool D. Expect fireworks in some form or fashion.

Get tickets to games like these here.

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Pulse Picks

Max Strus hasn’t played a game for the Cavaliers this season, but for children in the Cleveland area with a rare disorder, he’s making a huge difference. Make time for this heartwarming tale today. 

Will Lane Kiffin win a national championship at LSU? I sure hope so. His peers, as polled by our Bruce Feldman and Antonio Morales, aren’t so sure. 

Devon Henderson talked to Nathan Martin, the high school coach who won that incredible Los Angeles Marathon over the weekend. He described the final mile in great detail. 

The West Virginia women’s basketball team has a specific method to avoid sour results: eating lemons during games. Yes, really. 

Santa Clara fell to Gonzaga in the WCC championship game last night. They still lead our list of potential March Madness cinderellas. 

Madeline Coleman scored an exclusive interview with Daniel Ricciardo, the recently retired F1 driver. He was remarkably candid about the struggle to find himself. Read that here. 

Over the weekend, Panama upset Canada at the World Baseball Classic. Logan Allen played for both teams.

I thought Gary Woodland was very vulnerable while discussing his PTSD ahead of the Players Championship. It’s impressive he shared so much. 

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: That excellent feature on Sarah Strong, a contender for the best UConn women’s player of all time. 

Most-read on the website yesterday: NFL free agency live blog, again.

📫 That’s all for now! Say hello at thepulse@theathletic.com, and check out our other newsletters.