2024 Miami Heat NBA playoff picture after loss to Dallas Mavericks (April 10): Updated standings, schedule and more

The Miami Heat fell 111-92 at home to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, suffering a tough setback amid their pursuit of a playoff spot.

One day after gutting out a hard-fought 117-111 double-overtime road victory over the Atlanta Hawks, Miami appeared out of gas. It fell behind by 25 points in the first half.

The Heat later rallied to cut their deficit to eight points early in the fourth quarter. However, the Mavericks ended the game on a 17-6 run to pull away for a 19-point victory.

Dallas was led by superstar guard Luka Doncic, who recorded a game-high 29 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and four 3-pointers on 39.1% shooting. Meanwhile, his co-star Kyrie Irving added 25 points, three rebounds, four assists, two steals and five 3s on 66.7% shooting.

Miami was unable to counter the star duo's one-two punch. Shooting guard Tyler Herro finished with a team-best 21 points, shooting 40.0%, while no other Heat player tallied more than 16 points.

Entering the evening, the Heat had an opportunity to ensure themselves a top-seven finish in the Eastern Conference by winning their final three games. However, following Wednesday's loss, which marked their third in five outings, they will likely begin the play-in tournament on the road.

On that note, here’s a snapshot of Miami's standing in the East playoff picture with two games remaining.

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Miami Heat Playoff Picture: Standings

Following Wednesday's loss to Dallas, the Heat (44-36) remain eighth in the East, trailing the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers (45-35) by 1.0 game.

Miami and Philly split their season series 2-2, but the Heat have a better conference record (30-20 vs 29-21). Thus, they own the tiebreaker.

However, even if the Heat finish 2-0, they will need the Sixers to drop at least one of their last two games for the tiebreaker to apply.

Additionally, It's unlikely Miami will finish higher than seventh and avoid the play-in. It trails the fifth and sixth-seeded Orlando Magic (46-34) and Indiana Pacers (46-34) by 2.0 games. The Heat won their season series against the Magic 3-1 but lost their season series against the Pacers 2-1. So, they only own the tiebreaker over the Magic.

However, Miami has already clinched a play-in spot, given its 6.5-game advantage over the ninth-placed Chicago Bulls (37-42).

Updated Eastern Conference standings following Miami Heat's loss to Dallas Mavericks

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Miami Heat Playoff Picture: Schedule

Miami should have a good chance of closing the season with back-to-back wins, as its final two games come against the depleted Toronto Raptors (25-55).

The Heat and Raptors face off on Friday and Sunday, with both matchups taking place in Miami. If the Heat fare well against Toronto and get help from the Sixers, they could secure a top-seven finish and homecourt advantage for the play-in.

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Miami Heat Playoff Picture: X-factor

Offense was once again an issue for Miami on Wednesday, as it tallied only 92 points in a critical home matchup. That dropped its season average to 109.9 points per game, the NBA's fourth-worst mark.

The Heat rank just 21st in offensive rating (113.0), relying heavily on their top-five defense (111.6 defensive rating). Their elite defense should bode well for them in the postseason. However, they will likely need more players to step up offensively outside of Herro and superstar forward Jimmy Butler to pose a serious playoff threat.

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