For the second time this week, seeing a playoff contender on the night of an opposition back-to-back set has meant not seeing stars for the Miami Heat.

On Monday, it was getting the Philadelphia 76ers a night after they lost at home to the Toronto Raptors, with coach Doc Rivers holding out Joel Embiid and James Harden.

The Heat failed that test, falling 113-106 at Wells Fargo Center.

Wednesday night, in what could have been a showcase moment at FTX Arena, the Heat learned mid-afternoon that the Golden State Warriors, already without sidelined guard Stephen Curry, were opting to hold out Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Otto Porter and others, after falling Tuesday night on the road to the Orlando Magic.

Golden State coach Steve Kerr, who has adopted the approach in previous tight scheduling windows, hinted at the move in the wake of the 94-90 loss to the Magic.

For the Heat, it created another night of finding their own motivation as the schedule winds down to the April 10 close of the regular season and April 16 start of the NBA playoffs.

The Heat could wind up taking a similar tact in their remaining two back-to-back sets, with home games on Friday night against the New York Knicks and then Saturday night against the Brooklyn Nets. The Heat also play road games on April 2 against the Chicago Bulls and April 3 against the Toronto Raptors.

()