It was an afternoon that left the Miami Heat confused, and for more than the 117-109 overtime loss to the Toronto Raptors that left their playoff hopes on life support.
Desperately fighting to keep their postseason chances alive, the Heat left Scotiabank Center perplexed by a sequence at the end of regulation that left them with nothing more than a wayward 25-foot James Johnson jumper.
“This,” a visibly angered Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, “is going to have to be explained to me. I will probably, forever, have to agree to disagree.”
Despite blowing the whistle to signal the start of play with 10.1 seconds to play in the fourth quarter in a 103-103 tie, referee Eric Lewis did not hand the ball to inbounder Dion Waiters.
Instead, the Raptors got a read on the Heat play, set up for Dwyane Wade.
“From our vantage point, that was a botched play,” Spoelstra said, insisting Lewis should have then paused again, to reset the situation before handing the ball Waiters.
“He looked down there at Spo,” Waiters said. “We never called a timeout or anything, so why’s he looking down there?”
By then, Spoelstra knew the timing was off.
“I’m calling timeout,” he said. “But on that side of the court, the only way to do that is to run into the play to get anybody’s intention. And I didn’t do that and I regret that.
“I’m killing myself for not running into the free-throw line, into everybody’s vision, to call that timeout. It’s just one of those in-explainable things.”
Heat center Bam Adebayo secured the rebound of Johnson’s miss with six-tenths of a second to play in regulation, but his putback basket was ruled too late, confirmed by video replay.
From there, the Raptors seized control in overtime, Spoelstra left without answer from the officiating crew.
“Nothing that’s coherent or makes sense,” he said. “They’ll just probably levy a fine on me. I don’t care.”
With the loss, the Heat faced the possibility of being eliminated from playoff contention later Sunday if the Brooklyn Nets won in Indiana and the Detroit Pistons defeated the visiting Charlotte Hornets.
“These hurt,” Wade said.
Up 13 early and ahead at the end of each of the first three quarters, the Heat fell to 38-42, assuring the first losing season since 2014-15.
“We’ve been in a lot of these games throughout the year and we just haven’t been able to make enough plays,” forward Justise Winslow said.
Wade led the Heat with 21 points, supported by 18 from Johnson. Kawhi Leonard scored 22 for the Raptors, with Norman Powell, Pascal Siakam and Danny Green offering ample support.
The Heat led 26-25 at the end of the opening period, 57-50 at halftime and 79-78 going into the fourth quarter.
Five degrees of Heat from Sunday’s game:
1. Wade moment: While there was no formal tribute to Wade, there was a rousing ovation when he entered for the first time midway through the opening period, in his final appearance in Toronto.
Wade swapped jerseys with Leonard after the game.
The appearance allowed the Raptors’ Green to reminisce about playing Wade in the playoffs while with the San Antonio Spurs.
“One game,” Green said, “he would be limping and looking a little old and we’re like, ‘Alright, we got him.’ Then, the next game, he would come out and be the old Flash and be doing Euro-steps and dunking on people. I’m like, ‘What the hell happened? What did he eat today?’ He’s a very special, special player and an even better person.”
2. One dimension: Waiters continues to play mostly at a distance.
This time he opened 4 of 8 on 3-pointers, with all but three of his first 10 shots coming from beyond the arc. He closed 6 of 16 from the field, 5 of 12 on 3-pointers for 17 points.
It was the 10th consecutive game Waiters has converted multiple 3-pointers, his longest such streak of the season.
3. The big thing: Adebayo and Hassan Whiteside continued to play as an either/or proposition, with both having their moments.
Adebayo finished with seven points and 13 rebounds in 31:09, Whiteside with 14 points and nine rebounds in 21:55.
The issue is whether Adebayo ever will be cast at power forward, considering that is where Kelly Olynyk has been starting, with Johnson, Winslow and Derrick Jones Jr. all taking minutes at that spot at times.
And that’s not even getting into the Heat signing Yante Maten to a multiyear deal Sunday or the possibility of Udonis Haslem returning for a 16th season.
4. A Johnson revival: Johnson continues to show spurts of getting back to where he was during the Heat’s 30-11 run to close the 2016-17 season. He shot 6 of 11 Sunday, with five assists and four rebounds, playing as closer.
Johnson, having undergone surgery for a sports hernia last May, said he will devote his offseason to returning to peak conditioning.
5. Second surge: The Heat were at their best in the second period, when, behind the play of Whiteside, they pushed to a 49-36 lead in the middle of the period.
After a timeout, Raptors then responded with a 10-0 surge, closing within three before going into the half down seven.