Where Do The Miami Heat Stand With Seven Days Left In The Regular Season?

Anthony Pasciolla | Apr 8, 2024

Apr 7, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) shoots the ball; Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Heat are fighting to avoid the Play-In Tournament after a devastating loss to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night.

Here's where the Heat stand with seven days left in the regular season:

The 117-115 loss to the Pacers put the Heat eight games above .500 at 43-35. This places them as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference as of Monday night. Meanwhile, the Pacers (45-34) are the No. 6 seed, and the red-hot Philadelphia 76ers (44-35) are at No. 7. The return of reigning MVP Joel Embiid is a blessing for Philadelphia, as they are on a five-game win streak.

The Heat's next game comes on Tuesday against Dejounte Murray and the Atlanta Hawks (36-42). Star Trae Young and big man Onyeka Okongwu are among those sidelined for the Hawks while guard Terry Rozier is questionable. The Pacers and Sixers have easier matchups in front of them against the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons, respectively.

"You want to end up playing games of meaning, but when you say they are games of meaning, that also means they are games of consequences. That’s the whole point of this right now in both conferences. There's going to be wild swings of emotion," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after Sunday's game. "This game is beyond us, but we gotta get ready for Atlanta and make sure we're our best version for that game."

Despite the Heat making it out of the Play-In Tournament last season to reach the NBA Finals, earning a guaranteed spot in the postseason is a top priority.

Anthony Pasciolla is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.comor on Instagram @anthony.pasciolla