Winderman’s view: After loss, does Heat season come with an expiration date of next week?

MIAMI -– Observations and other notes of interest from Wednesday night’s 111-92 loss to the Dallas Mavericks:

– At one point, the way this one was playing out, a running clock might have been the way to go.

– Now the question is whether time is running out for the Heat.

– A week from Friday, this could be over.

– Because how, after nights such as this, could anyone have confidence against Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and the 76ers in a Tuesday play-in opener, especially in Philadelphia?

– And if a loss then, it comes down to a winner-take-all game at Kaseya Center against the winner of Chicago-Atlanta a week from Friday.

– As in the Bulls and Hawks who each have won this season at Kaseya Center.

– The reality is the Heat needed double-overtime against 10th-place Atlanta a night earlier.

– And that was without Trae Young.

– Who now is back for the Hawks.

– And remember, the Bulls led the Heat in the fourth quarter of last year’s winner-take-all East play-in game.

– With no Max Strus to the rescue this time.

– Playoff momentum?

– It has left the building.

– And it’s not as if a pair of games against the Raptors to close the regular season is going to restore that.

– The Heat for the second consecutive night opened with Bam Adebayo, Nikola Jovic, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Caleb Martin.

– That lineup is now 2-3.

– With Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson again out.

– The Mavericks opened with a lineup of Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, Derrick Jones Jr., PJ Washington Jr. and Daniel Gafford.

– Haywood Highsmith was first off the Heat bench, as the Heat searched for answers for Doncic.

– With Jaime Jaquez Jr. next off the Heat bench.

– Patty Mills and Kevin Love then followed together.

– Mills got the minutes that Delon Wright had received Tuesday night in Atlanta.

– It was Mills’ first action in seven games.

– He converted a 3-pointer on his first attempt from the field.

– The irony being that Delon’s brother, former Heat forward Dorell Wright, was among those in the crowd.

– Adebayo’s first 3-point attempt was the 100th of his career.

– The waiting game continues with Rozier and his neck spasms.

– “As soon as he gets relief, it’s as simple as that,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “His neck is just really jacked up right now. And he needs to calm that down.”

– Spoelstra added, “Anybody that’s had neck or back pain, it just takes time. He’s doing everything he needs to do.”

– Spoelstra also said, “That’s one of those things, one day you wake up and it’s gone.”

– Of Herro playing after going 48 minutes Tuesday while still dealing with lingering foot tendinitis, Spoelstra said, “I didn’t know what to expect and he didn’t know either, training staff didn’t know either. We just wanted to be responsible with the decisions.”

– Spoelstra added, “He wanted to, but you never know until you get back and see how you feel and go through the day of treatment.”