Erik Spoelstra: 'LeBron James, Chris Bosh needed a rest'

Erik Spoelstra has insisted that LeBron James and Chris Bosh needed to rest on Monday night due to the Miami Heat's hectic schedule in recent weeks.

The Heat's hopes of finishing as the top seed in the Eastern Conference were ended by a 114-93 defeat to the Washington Wizards, but Spoelstra maintains that it was the right call to leave two of his key players out ahead of the playoffs.

"It was out of our control. Those guys put in a lot of mileage," the Miami coach told reporters. "Our schedule was fairly extreme down the stretch. I've never been a part of a group that's played that many games in that few of days down the stretch.

"That's not an excuse, but we want to just make sure our guys are sharp and feeling healthy."

The Heat face the Philadelphia 76ers in their final regular-season game on Wednesday night.