CLEVELAND – For weeks now, Erik Spoelstra has stressed the fight of a team fighting to stay afloat in the wake of the Jimmy Butler trade.

That fight, against all odds, was on display again Wednesday night from the Miami Heat at Rocket Arena.

What wasn’t on display was enough to overcome the odds in what turned into a 112-107 loss to the NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers.

Not only did the Heat enter 21 1/2 games behind Cleveland in the standings, but had to take the court in the illness/injury absences of Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Andrew Wiggins, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovcic.

Eventually, even after the Heat overcame a 17-point second-period deficit, the math simply did not add up, even with a seven-point fourth-quarter lead.

So back to three games under .500 for the Heat and now a sterling 52-10 for the Cavaliers, despite 34 points, 12 rebounds and five assists from Bam Adebayo, who in some ways played as if the last man standing for Spoelstra’s team.

The Heat also got 14 points from Duncan Robinson, seven assists from Davion Mitchell, and workmanlike seven points, 14 rebounds and seven assists off the bench from Kyle Anderson.

With the victory, Cleveland became the league’s first team to clinch a playoff spot, led by Donovan Mitchell’s 26 points.

Five Degrees of Heat from Wednesday night’s game:

– Closing time: The Cavaliers led 36-32 after the first period and then went ahead 17 in the second period before the Heat closed within 63-59 at the intermission.

The Heat then moved to a three-point lead in the third quarter, before the Cavaliers took an 86-82 advantage into the fourth.

From there, the Heat moved to a 98-91 lead with 6:48 to play on an Adebayo 3-pointer.

Turnovers then turned into a Heat issue, with the Cavaliers moving within 102-100 with 4:37 to play on a 3-pointer by former Heat forward Max Strus.

Adebayo and Strus then matched 3-pointers to keep it at a two-point Heat lead.

With the teams trading scores from there, before the Cavaliers moved to a 110-107 lead with 1:20 to play on a De’Andre Hunter jumper.

Eventually, the Heat found themselves in possession with 18.4 seconds to play with that score.

But while Robindson then converted what would have been the tying 3-pointer, he was ruled out of bounds before the shot, effectively ending it.

– Hot start: Adebayo played with eyes on the rim early, with 10 points in the opening 6:52, at 4 of 5 from the field at that stage, also with a pair of assists.

Adebayo then was up to 16 points and five assists at the intermission, and 22 points and eight rebounds going into the fourth.

Largely deferential to Herro this season, this was the rare opportunity of Adebayo having the stage to himself ... and seizing the moment.

He closed 11 of 18 from the field, including 3 of 5 on 3-pointers.

– Warm welcome: In his first game back since leaving the Cavaliers for the Heat in February 2023 on the buyout market, Kevin Love not only received a rousing ovation when announced with the Heat starters, but an even louder one when a video tribute was played during the game’s first timeout.

With Ware out, Love, 36, started for the second consecutive game, with Spoelstra addressing Love’s transition to playable mentor.

“He’s embraced the transition to a different role,” Spoelstra said. “And he’s a plug-and-play guy, still. So when you need him to play, he still has that talent.

“Those kinds of guys are really necessary in this league. I do think you need that kind of mentorship, guys that can still do it, that can still play.”

Love finished with 10 points and six rebounds in 16 minutes.

– Unexpected boost: Again forced into minutes at backup center, Anderson showed the depths and variety of his complementary skills, including his solid work on the boards.

That had him playing as a closer, with his rebounds and assists affording Adebayo the chance to not have to make every play.

While the offense has been uneven since his arrival in the Butler trade, Anderson’s contributions very well could have him in the Jovic role the balance of the season.

– Back home: Having gone 3-1 in the homestand that preceded Wednesday night’s game, the Heat now return for a compact five-game homestand that opens with a back-to-back set on Friday and Saturday nights against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Chicago Bulls, respectively.

From there, there are home games next week against the Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics.

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