Heat still have one thing to play for in second bout with Raptors

Two nights ago, Andrew Wiggins led the Miami Heat in scoring with 24 points on a very efficient shooting night, but it was not enough to help the Heat overcome the Toronto Raptors, who took the game 121-95. 

The loss settled Miami's place in the play-in tournament, continuing their streak of play-in appearances to four consecutive seasons. As the Heat face the Raptors once again on Thursday, Miami will need a lot more performances like the one Wiggins gave them earlier in the week. 

Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, for instance, must have better games for the Heat to not only have a chance to win, but also move up in the play-in seeding, which is still something Miami can achieve before it's all said and done, but they'll need a full team effort to do it. 

Miami Heat can still change their play-in seeding with a win against the Toronto Raptors

Whether better play-in positioning will truly be the answer for the Heat is not a thought full of deep confidence right now. The Heat don't resemble a team capable of competing in a seven-game series with anyone, even if they were to escape the play-in tournament and reach the first round. 

If the Heat were to move up in the play-in, it would start with a massive bounce-back victory over the Raptors, who they have not beaten in three tries this season, and a regular-season sweep is a real possibility on Thursday night. 

The Heat will enter this game in Toronto with a 41-38 record; two wins behind the Charlotte Hornets (43-37) and Philadelphia 76ers (43-36), and three wins behind the Orlando Magic (44-36). Miami will have to win at least two of the final three games, but they need the other teams above them to lose out. 

The Heat are expected to have their full complement of starters ready for the Raptors, even though both Wiggins and Tyler Herro are dealing with nagging foot and toe injuries. That said, a full roster will not do much unless the players who need to step up do so. 

Adebayo scored just seven points against the Raptors earlier in the week, and the Heat's other starters, Herro, Davion Mitchell, and Pelle Larsson, shot a combined 3-for-13 from three. Wiggins was the only one to shoot over 50% from long distance, while Adebayo also shot a terrible 1-for-7. 

The Raptors are a solid three-point shooting team, and that was on full display earlier in the week. If Toronto comes out hot again, Miami has to keep up and knock down their shots. Otherwise, they're facing another gut-punch of a loss, and the deeper reality of remaining in the 10th play-in seed. Then again, this entire season has felt like a gut-punch.