The Miami Heat suffered a blow to their playoff hopes with a 116-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
The loss was Miami's second straight to a team with a losing record. Due to the losses, the Heat also still have a losing mark at 37-40. With five games left in the season, Miami is clinging to eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The Heat can still reach as high as the fifth seed, but could also easily miss the postseason.
The Heat fought back in the fourth quarter, after entering the final 12 minutes down six. With ten seconds left on the clock, the Heat found themselves down by only one point. Denver got the ball following a timeout and was able to put the game away at the free-throw line.
Goran Dragic was Miami's points leader once again, but his 22 points were not enough in the end. Dragic also had six assists and a rebound in the defeat. The guard put up five shots from downtown and only converted one of them. Those missed baskets were part of a 13-25 day overall for Miami on treys.
Hassan Whiteside notched a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, in addition to his three blocks. The center was even active with his passing and picked up two assists.
Johnson's aforementioned late three was just one his three treys in the game. The guard has 15 points off the bench, as well as five assists.
The Heat will begin their last road trip of the season on Wednesday in Charlotte against the Hornets at 7:00 p.m.
