The Miami Heat battled until the end of Sunday's 102-98 loss to the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Miami trailed after each quarter, but had a chance to win in the final minutes of play. The Heat brought a four-game winning streak into the game, and Indiana is one of the teams that Miami is chasing. After this loss, Miami is now 2.5 games back of the sixth-seeded Pacers.
While this was an important game for Miami's playoff hopes, the team still sits in a comfortable position. The Heat only trail the eighth seed by a game, and could find themselves in possession of a playoff spot this week. Miami is ranked ninth in the Eastern Conference, after moving ahead of Dwyane Wade and the Chicago Bulls earlier in the weekend.
Goran Dragic suffered an eye injury in Saturday's game, and was not available for this one. Head coach Erik Spoelstra decided to give Josh Richardson the start in Dragic's place, and the guard did a decent job. Richardson had nine points, eight rebounds, three steals and a block. One thing Richardson was missing from Dragic's usual line were assists. Richardson ended up with zero assists in the game, while Dragic averages six per game.
Dion Waiters flirted with a double-double, and even had an outside chance at a triple-double. The guard wound up with 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Hassan Whiteside led Miami with his 26 points in the loss, and the big man added another double-double to his season totals. Whiteside had 21 rebounds and also picked up a block.
The Heat will try to return to the win column on Wednesday when they host the New Orleans Pelicans at 7:30 p.m.
