Heat 120, Celtics 107
Heat 120 Celtics 107: Dwyane Wade led with 29 points and Ray Allen added 19 off the bench in his first meeting against his former team as host Miami received its championship rings and then dispatched Boston.
LeBron James left early in the fourth quarter with leg cramps but ended up with 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who shot 54 percent from the floor and scored at least 27 points in every quarter.
Rajon Rondo collected 20 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds and Paul Pierce scored 23 points for the Celtics, who had trouble integrating a new bench rotation for the first three quarters. Newcomer Jason Terry and holdover Jeff Green, who missed all of the 2011-12 campaign after heart surgery, combined to shoot 2-for-11.
The Heat pushed their lead to as much as 95-76 on James’ jumper with 11:30 left in the game. The reigning MVP left a few minutes later and Boston took advantage, getting nine straight points from Leandro Barbosa to spark a 31-16 run over the next 8:21 that cut it to 111-107.
But Chris Bosh scored seven points over the next 1:31 to stop Boston’s momentum and seal the win. Bosh finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Rondo was called for a technical foul for arguing with an official and then committed a flagrant foul (type 1) in the final minute as he pulled on Wade’s shoulder to stop a drive. … All 16 of Barbosa’s points came in the fourth quarter. … Allen shot 5-of-7 from the field, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range. He greeted former teammates and coaches warmly before the contest.