THE Cleveland Cavaliers blew another late lead and are no longer atop the Eastern Conference.

    The Miami Heat beat the Cavaliers in overtime Monday 124-121 after the defending champions took an 11-point advantage into the fourth quarter. Cleveland’s defeat came a mere day after it blew a 26-point lead in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

    Thanks to the Boston Celtics’ Monday victory over the Brooklyn Nets, the 51-30 Cavaliers are a game behind Boston for the No. 1 seed with one contest remaining in the regular season.

    As for Miami, the comeback kept its postseason hopes alive. The Heat are still tied with the Chicago Bulls for the East’s No. 8 seed, but Chicago holds the tiebreaker, so a loss would have ended Miami’s playoff chances.

    The Heat provided a look at what they are chasing with one game left.

    The Cavaliers’ loss was more explainable than just their inability to win in Miami. LeBron James (calf) and Kyrie Irving (knee) each sat out Monday’s contest and may not be available for tonight’s regular-season finale against the Toronto Raptors.

    That left Kevin Love alone in the proverbial Big Three for the Cavaliers, and he responded with a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds.

    However, it was veteran Deron Williams who did his best James impersonation with 35 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, although he also had 10 turnovers and missed a jumper in the final 30 seconds of overtime with his team down one.

    Tyler Johnson drilled four free throws on back-to-back Miami possessions to give the Heat a 124-121 lead, and Channing Frye’s potential game-tying three-pointer didn’t go, clinching the win for the Heat.

    Johnson’s clutch free throws were part of an impressive effort, as he led a balanced Miami attack off the bench alongside Hassan Whiteside and Josh Richardson.(SD-Agencies)