TORONTO - The Toronto Raptors ended a forgettable season with one final loss Wednesday before heading into a summer of uncertainty.

Eddie House poured in 35 points to lead a watered-down version of the Miami Heat to a 97-79 victory over the Raptors on Wednesday -- the finale for Toronto in its third straight season without a playoff appearance.

Jerryd Bayless topped Toronto (22-60) with 21 points, while DeMar DeRozan added 18, and James Johnson chipped in with 12.

Having already locked up the No. 2 seed in the East, the Heat sat their Big Three -- former Raptors captain Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

Juwan Howard added 18 points for Miami (58-24), while Toronto native Jamaal Magloire grabbed a season-high 19 rebounds.

DeRozan addressed the Air Canada Centre crowd before the game, saying "Thank you for supporting us all season, we can't wait for next year, and enjoy the game."

What next year holds however is anybody's guess. The threat of a lockout looms large -- the collective bargaining agreement between the union and league is set to expire June 30 -- meaning Wednesday's game might have been the last at the ACC for some time.

Adding to the uncertainty, neither the jobs of head coach Jay Triano, nor president and GM Bryan Colangelo are guaranteed for next season.

But if there's a silver lining on yet another season of disappointment, it's the growth of the younger players. The injury-riddled Raptors dressed just eight players for the second consecutive game. Injuries were a recurring theme down the stretch for Toronto, thrusting the younger players into major roles. Raptors coach Jay Triano is proud of how they rose to the challenge.

"The guys have continually worked, they've had great attitudes, they've come to practice every day and worked extremely hard, and we've seen it pay off in their growth and ability to play the game," Triano said before the game.

The Heat led for most of the night and had a 70-69 edge heading into the fourth quarter. The visitors opened the fourth with a 7-0 run and had stretched their lead to 14 points on back-to-back threes from House by the six-minute mark. By the time the final buzzer sounded on Toronto's season, many patrons had already zipped on their coats and departed the arena.

For the fans who were left, the Raptors players tossed autographed jerseys and shoes up into the crowd.

Sitting the Heat's Big Three -- especially Bosh -- didn't sit well with the capacity crowd of 19,800, who had booed the former Raptors captain mercilessly during the Heat's previous trip to Toronto on Feb. 16. They broke into chants of "We want Bosh!" on Wednesday, and hollered "Put them in!" at Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.

"The most important thing is getting healthy, getting right," Spoelstra said before the game. "I know everybody feels good about our game right now, and (the playoffs are) right around the corner, Saturday, so there's not much turnaround time. But guys are feeling comfortable and confident."

The Heat hosts the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of the opening round Saturday.

House poured in 18 points in the first quarter, 14 of them in the final 3:13 of the frame to put the Heat up by 1. Miami took a 29-20 lead into the second.

A slam dunk by DeRozan capped a 20-5 run in the second that gave Toronto a 49-48 advantage, and the Raptors took a 51-50 lead into dressing room at halftime.

The Raptors pulled ahead by a mere four points midway through the third, but that would be their biggest lead of the game, and the Heat took a one-point advantage in the fourth.