Heat 97, Raptors 79
Eddie House led a decidedly unglamorous Miami Heat lineup with 35 points as the "Big Three" got some rest in a 97-79 road victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.
After clinching the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference on Monday, the Heat (58-24) decided to let All-Stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh sit out the finale. Juwan Howard added 18 points for Miami, while Mario Chalmers dished out 13 assists and Jamaal Magloire grabbed 19 rebounds.
The Raptors (22-60) were down to eight players due to injury and were led by Jerryd Bayless with 21 points. DeMar DeRozan chipped in 18.
Toronto was within 70-69 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but Miami pulled away with a 15-2 run to begin the frame. House buried three 3-pointers and Howard scored six points during the spurt, and the Raptors mustered only 10 points in the period.
The Heat will begin their playoff run against the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.
The Raptors closed the season having dropped 11 of 13.