"This was the night Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra had been warning his team about, the risk of growing intoxicated on a soft closing schedule.

The sobering reality was heightened by the presence of a pair of former postseason pests.

With Ben Gordon and Tayshaun Prince powering the Detroit Pistons, the Heat's league-best nine-game winning streak came to an end with Friday's 106-99 loss at AmericanAirlines Arena.

"We've been living on the edge the last four of five games," Spoelstra said. "The writing was on the wall. You could see it coming, and we fell."

For all the good the Heat had accomplished in winning 15 of its previous 18, this one exacted a significant toll.

"You hope it's a slap in the face and a wake-up call," Spoelstra said. "But this is not going to be easy going down the stretch."

With Milwaukee winning in Philadelphia and moving a game ahead of the Heat in the race for the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Heat now would need Milwaukee to lose two of its final three for any chance for that playoff spot.

In addition, it left to door open for Charlotte to potentially pass the Heat for the No. 6 seed.

"We can't just hope and beg that somebody is going to help us out," Spoelstra said."