The Heat went into the game without Cam McPherson and Chaz Bishop while player-coach Zac Maloney was also on the sidelines with an ankle injury.

Maloney was super-impressed with how the side continued to battle against a quality opposition.

"I probably would've rated Saturday's game as our best of the year," Maloney said.

"The boys were up against a tall task in a good team who have had some big wins recently and they are heading to finals.

"We had three players out plus Jake (Edwards) got in early foul trouble and also did an ankle.

"So we were down four the of the guys who have had the ball in their hand the most this year, but the boys really stepped up."

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The Heat haven't had the end to the season that they were hoping, winning only one of their last seven games, however the loss to the Waves showcased a preview of what the future looks like for next year.

"The ball movement that was going on out on the court was great," Maloney said.

"We executed pretty well everything that we have been looking to all season.

"The way the boys played for each other and they played hard and never really gave up on it."

Loro Kuron was a standout for the Heat, finishing with a season-best 20-points and his performance was praised by Maloney.

"He stepped up into a starting role for us," he said.

"He's been solid for us all year, he's come in off the bench and really been a spark plug for us.

"He has played some really good defence, but offensively he hadn't quite clicked but then on the weekend the extra opportunity really helped him.

"He was electric and he was unreal to watch, he got aggressive on the offensive end which is what we were looking for out of him and he played an unreal game.

"I was super proud of him and he is a really good kid that is going to go far."

Kuron's performance comes after fellow young gun Angus Lourey scored 15-points last week with Maloney saying it has been pleasing to see the team's younger players making the most of their opportunities when they arise.

"These boys were both part of the club last year and have been working really hard," he said.

"It was a tough year to get too many minutes into the young fellas, but to be able to really reward them with a lot of added minutes towards the end of the season is really good.

"They showed why they are a part of the squad and why we are excited to have them around for the future."

Captain Eddie Merkel also played well against the Waves ending with 16-points while Josh Cochrane was also impressive for the Heat.

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