Heat never trail on the way to a 125-103 win over Raptors, keeping playoff hope going
![Heat vs Raptors Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic (5) drives to the basket over Toronto Raptors guard Ochai Agbaji (30) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, April 12, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)](/content/dam/cp24/en/images/2024/4/12/heat-vs-raptors-1-6845683-1712976160577.jpg)
When the final whistle blows in Miami on Sunday, the Heat might be in the playoffs. They might also be back in the play-in tournament.
As long as they're clicking, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra will like their chances.
Nikola Jovic scored 22 points, Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 20 points and nine assists, and the Heat kept hope alive of escaping the play-in tournament by topping the Toronto Raptors 125-103 on Friday night.
Bam Adebayo scored 19 points, Tyler Herro scored 18, and Jimmy Butler and Kevin Love each scored 14 for the Heat (45-36). Miami still could get out of the play-in with a win in a rematch against the Raptors on Sunday and some help.
“I'm focused on my team. All I'm focused on (is) we can get to a place where we're connected and playing for each other and playing a spirited game where it's to our identity,” Spoelstra said. “That's all I care about right now, because when we get to that, we feel like we can beat anybody, anywhere, any time.”
It's the 14th time in Heat history that the team won 45 games in a season; all 13 of the previous squads made the playoffs.
RJ Barrett had 35 points and a season-high 11 rebounds for the Raptors, who lost for the 18th time in their last 20 games. Immanuel Quickley scored 15 points, Bruce Brown scored 14 and Kelly Olynyk grabbed 11 rebounds for Toronto.
“They're a good team. They were moving the ball. Our first and second efforts were good, actually,” Barrett said. “They just kept going all the way into the shot clock and somehow would find an open 3.”
The Heat made 17 3s on Friday, and now will wait until Sunday to learn their playoff - or play-in - fate.
Orlando, Indiana, Philadelphia and Miami will finish No. 5, No. 6, No. 7 and No. 8 in the Eastern Conference, in some order. The Magic, Pacers and 76ers are all 46-35; the Heat are 45-36 going into Sunday's finales.
Before the Heat-Raptors game went final on Friday, there were other outcomes that affected Miami's playoff possibilities. Philadelphia won its seventh straight game by topping Orlando but remained seventh in the East. Indiana lost to Cleveland, a game that allowed the Cavaliers to clinch a top-four spot in the East.
The Heat never trailed, building an 11-point lead after one quarter and stretching it to 19 before settling on a 66-50 lead at the half. The lead eventually reached 25 and no Heat player logged more than 32 minutes.
“It matters ... being able to rest, really recoup, get extra treatment, extra recovery and still cheer on your team,” Adebayo said.
The loss ensured that Toronto (25-56) will finish the season with the fifth-worst mark in franchise history, regardless of what happens in its finale at Miami on Sunday.
It'll be Toronto's worst season since going 22-60 in 2010-11.
UP NEXT
The teams meet again Sunday in Miami to end the regular season.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6778341.1708561001!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
'I got no remorse': Greg Fertuck, convicted of murdering missing spouse, sentenced to life in prison
Greg Fertuck will spend life behind bars with no chance of parole until he is 90 years old, a judge ruled on Thursday at Saskatoon's Court of King's Bench.
'Ford's dry summer begins': All LCBO stores closed as workers go on strike
All LCBO stores are closed on Friday as thousands of workers hit the picket lines after their union and employer failed to reach an agreement.
Britain's Labour on track for landslide victory, exit poll suggests, amid anger with Conservatives
Britain's Labour Party headed for a landslide victory Friday in a parliamentary election, an exit poll suggested, as voters punished the governing Conservatives after 14 years of economic and political upheaval.
Saskatchewan has the lowest hourly minimum wage. How does it stack up to the rest of Canada?
Hourly minimum wages increased in several Canadian provinces this spring with more on the horizon, which economists say will likely impact workers and businesses differently.
Trying to sell or buy a home this summer? What a realtor says you should know
In the first few weeks of summer, the real estate sector is experiencing an upturn marked by more housing inventory, a Canadian realtor says
No Frills grocery stores drop 'multi-buy' offer
As receipts tick ever higher for Canadians at the grocery store and shoppers continue to search for savings, one Canadian grocer has ended a perceived deal.
Hurricane Beryl churns toward Mexico after leaving destruction in Jamaica and eastern Caribbean
After leaving a trail of destruction across the eastern Caribbean and at least nine people dead, Hurricane Beryl weakened as it chugged over open water toward Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Thursday, going from the earliest Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic to Category 2 by the afternoon.
CSIS director David Vigneault stepping down after seven years on the job
David Vigneault says he is stepping down from his job at the head of Canada’s spy agency. The director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, who spent seven years at the helm, is leaving the public service altogether.
Biden tells Democratic governors he needs more sleep and plans to stop scheduling events after 8 p.m.
U.S. President Joe Biden told Democratic governors during a meeting at the White House on Wednesday that part of his plan going forward is to stop scheduling events after 8 p.m. so that he can get more sleep, according to three sources briefed on his comments.