After a 46-win season, the Miami Heat are still not in the playoffs. Another victory will be necessary to get there.
And the team will have two chances to get it, if necessary.
Thomas Bryant had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 18 points and the Heat concluded their season with a 118-103 triumph over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.
Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro both had 17 points for the Heat, while Jimmy Butler had 15 in the win.
Delon Wright had 11 points and five steals for Miami, who finished their campaign with a 46-36 record. They are ranked eighth in the Eastern Conference and will face the Philadelphia 76ers in the qualifying tournament, which begins on Wednesday.
“It should be very pleasant,” said Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra.
The loser of this duel will face the Atlanta Hawks or the Chicago Bulls to determine which team will cross swords with the Boston Celtics in the first playoff round.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 18 points for the Raptors (25-57). Jordan Nwora and Gradey Dick both recorded 14 points.
Toronto had the fifth-worst record in team history. Late in February, they had gone on a three-game winning streak to go 22-36, but they have won just three of their last 24 outings.
The Raptors had to play the home stretch of their season without the services of Scottie Barnes, rookie of the year in 2022-2023. Barnes, who was selected to the All-Star Game earlier this year, is dealing with an injury.
“I think we were able to keep the group together, keep the emotions high and really focus on the development of our young core,” explained Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic. There are many positive things that we can use for the future. »
The two teams were tied after a quarter, but the suspense did not last long. The Heat dominated the Raptors 43-22 in the second quarter to go into the locker room with a 67-46 lead.