The Miami Heat are bringing up the rear of the Eastern Conference playoff chase this season, with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo seemingly having a hard time wrestling with expectations of another NBA Finals trip.

Butler, Adebayo, and Duncan Robinson all sat out Saturday's loss to the Nets at the Barclays Center. A loss to the New York Knicks prior to which the Heat were leading by 21 points has set fans off in a tizzy.

Spoelstra Addresses ‘Humbling' Heat Loss

Miami Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra addressed his team after the game.

He spoke about the humbling nature of the team's loss to a Brooklyn Nets team that isn't exactly headed for the NBA Finals anytime soon.

“This last 22 hours was pretty humbling,” Spoelstra said.

The Heat has won seven of its last 10 games including nine on the road, which caused the coach to look at the bright side of the trip as a whole.

“Overall we did what we set out to do to get to a higher level as a basketball team.”

Heat Evaporates in Double-Digit Loss to Nets

Guard Mikal Bridges paced the Nets with 24 points on Saturday night leading to a 112-97 victory over the Heat in Brooklyn.

A balanced scoring attack was too much for the short-handed Heat to handle on the night as Caleb Martin had 22 points. Former UCLA player and rookie Jaime Jacquez Jr. chipped in 18 for Spoelstra's short-handed team, which fell to 10-7 on the season compared to 7-8 for the Nets.

Next up for Miami is big-time In-Season Tournament matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks, which could be closer than expected with the Heat's Big 3 rested and ready.