National Basketball Association

Week in review: Heat on outside looking in with tough schedule ahead

Published Mar. 14, 2015 3:30 p.m. ET

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Friday's 102-92 loss to the Toronto Raptors put the Miami Heat once again out of the playoff picture with the schedule only getting more difficult.

After failing to defeat the struggling Washington Wizards and the Raptors this week, coupled with their disappointing home loss to the Boston Celtics, tough battles now loom ahead against strong West teams, with the Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder coming up in March.

Miami also faces the top teams in the East, with games against the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls and the surging Cleveland Cavaliers twice.

"It's very important," Dwyane Wade said of the need to pick up the level of play. "Without March or April, we don't get to April or May. It's a different year and you have to have a different mentality. We have a tough schedule coming up down the stretch and we have no room for error."

On Friday, the Heat again allowed the opposition to carve out a large lead only for a second-half rally to fall short, just as it did against the Wizards on March 6.

In contrast, the Charlotte Hornets battled back from their own big deficit Friday but found a way to rally from 19 down to beat the Bulls 101-91 and leapfrog the Heat in the standings. To complicate matters, Boston is now just a half-game behind the Heat and tied in the loss column with their 95-88 win over the Orlando Magic.

Both the Hornets and the Celtics have won seven of their last 10, while the Heat are 5-5. Miami has won consecutive games just seven times, with the last occurrence March 2-4 against the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. The three victories that opened the season are their longest win streak.

"It's tough, because you want to win every game," Dragic said after the loss in Toronto. "We win one, we lose one, we win one, we lose one, so we cannot get those few games to win. If we did, probably we would be in good shape. There's still time. I think so now with the games that are coming. We still play against Charlotte, against Indiana, against teams that we are battling for those spots. Those games have got to be crucial for us."

At the seventh spot in the East, the Indiana Pacers have won seven straight and star Paul George appears close to rejoining the team for the first time this season as he continues to recovere from a gruesome leg injury suffered during Team USA play last season. Indiana is 13-2 in February and March.

Ins and outs

-- Toronto's victory not only put an end to a 16-game losing streak against the Heat over the course of five years, it also dropped the Heat's record to 12-3 against the Atlantic Division.

-- Led by Chris Andersen, who played spectacularly in Hassan Whiteside's absence, Miami made its first nine shots of the game in its 104-98 victory against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. It was the second-best start of a team this season, just behind the 10 made baskets by the Cavaliers at Portland on Nov. 4.

-- Wade has picked up his scoring as of late after struggling to get back in rhythm after his extended time off to rest his hamstring last month. He is averaging 26.0 points through six games in March to help raise his scoring average to 21.4 for the season.

-- It sounds like Dragic plans on staying in Miami long-term. On developing chemistry with big man Hassan Whiteside: "We still need to work on that, especially with his size and putting those lobs on top. We have to get on the same page. We are talking a lot and we are proceeding well. Next season, or after a few games, we need to click and gel and get to the point that we want to be at."

You can follow Surya Fernandez on Twitter @SuryaHeatNBA or email him at SuryaFoxSports@gmail.com.