Despite Miami handling business, they’ll probably be disappointed with their route in the postseason.
The Miami Heat beat the Toronto Raptors in the regular season finale inside the Kaseya Center, 118-103, Sunday afternoon as their post-season pathway is now set. They finish at 46-36 which sticks them eighth in the tightly packed Eastern Conference in a disappointing ending as they could have possibly avoided the play-in tournament.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Thomas Bryant led the Heat with 18 points each as the main stars in Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro played well, but got rest as the game got out of hand.
Here are three takeaways from the Heat’s win over the Raptors in the regular season finale including who they face next in the post-season tournament:
Heat win 118-103 over Raptors in the regular season finale.
They handle business, but they are stuck at eighth with a matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers in the play-in tourney ahead. #HeatCulture
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) April 14, 2024
A tale of two…quarters in the first half for Heat, sets up season finale win
The first half of Sunday afternoon’s game was an emotional rollercoaster like Miami’s regular season itself as they came out uninspired in the opening period, but stormed out in the second and played their best basketball. It was utter domination last Friday where the Heat controlled Toronto from start to finish as Sunday was a bit of a different story.
After the first quarter, both teams were tied at 24 a piece where Miami made only seven of 20 attempts from the field along with making two of eight shots from the three-point line. As for the Raptors, they were just a smidge better at making eight of 19 from the field, but failed to miss all eight of their deep shots.
It was a much different energy in the second period as it was rare for the Heat to miss as they made 18 of 24 from the field which is 75 percent of their shots. They were also five of nine from beyond the arch which led to a monstrous 43-point quarter that separated Miami from Toronto as they led to a 67-46 score at halftime.
This would set the tone for the rest of the game as the main starts got some great rest as the game never became close. Miami handles business, but it was all for naught in terms of seeding.
Injuries pile on for Miami
The Heat were already dealing with the absences of stars Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson, who including Sunday afternoon’s game, have missed four straight games with their last contest played on April 7 against the Indiana Pacers. Add another significant player to the list as Kevin Love left the game at the end of the first quarter and was announced by the team that he wouldn’t return.
#TORvsMIA INJURY UPDATE: Kevin Love left today’s game vs the Raptors with a left upper arm contusion. He will not return.
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) April 14, 2024
After a collision, Love was no doubt shaken up and left to the locker room with under 24 second left as the injury is specifically labeled as left upper arm contusion. Because he didn’t return, one has to question if it’s serious or they kept him out since it’s the last game of the season.
Closer look at Kevin Love in pain, looks to be an elbow injury. He’s in the locker room. #HeatCulture pic.twitter.com/kJTWU1rMVj
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) April 14, 2024
Love has missed a lot of time this year as he is just coming off a 14-game absence due to a right heel bruise. He’s integral to the lineup as the veteran is the primary backup to Adebayo, but in the win to the Raptors, Thomas Bryant filled in and scored 18 points and collected 10 rebounds.
Going into the postseason, the statuses of Love, Rozier, and Robinson are now up in the air. As the Heat were getting healthier, they are once again struck by the injury bug.
Postseason pathway for the Heat
Coming into this game, Miami still had a chance to avoid the play-in tournament and even get the fifth or sixth seed in a tightly packed Eastern Conference. At the very least, the Heat needed the Orlando Magic and either the Philadelphia 76ers or Indiana Pacers to beat their opponents.
While it was always a large ask, no other team came through for Miami as Orlando beat the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia beat the Brooklyn Nets, and Indiana beat the Hawks. Despite the Heat handling business, they now travel to take on the 76ers in the play-in Wednesday as the eighth taking on the seventh seed Wednesday night.
The Heat controlled their own destiny at one point, but they lost key games down to the stretch. They had to rely on other teams to get them out of the tourney, but they now have to live with reality.
Source link