Jeff Teague limped to the locker room late in the Pacers’ win over the Hawks.
The Heat knew how he felt.
A win with a sour ending.
Miami beat the Wizards, 110-102, Wednesday night. But because the Bulls had already beaten the Nets, 112-73, the Heat needed the Pacers -- who were up comfortably in the fourth quarter -- to lose to the Nets. Indiana put the final nail in Miami’s coffin a few minutes later, closing a 104-86 win over Atlanta.
Teague’s status for the playoffs is unclear with his turned ankle, but at least the Pacers -- and Bulls -- are in. That’s more than the Heat can say, though they can take pride in overcoming a 11-30 start to finish 41-41.
The resting Cavaliers lost to the Raptors, 98-83, and the Celtics came back to beat the Bucks, 112-94. That finalizes the Eastern Conference playoff picture:
- Celtics vs. 8. Bulls
- Cavaliers vs. 7. Pacers
- Raptors vs. 6. Bucks
- Wizards vs. 5. Hawks