Heat 100, Celtics 77
LeBron James scored 27 points and the Miami Heat moved closer to gaining the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 100-77 win over Boston on Sunday.
The victory was Miami's first in four games against Boston this season. The Heat (56-24) lead the Celtics (55-25) by one game for second place in the East. Both teams have two games to play. The Celtics would win the tiebreaker, thanks to their 3-1 advantage in the season series.
Dwyane Wade scored 14 points and Chris Bosh added 13 for the Heat.
Paul Pierce led Boston with 24 points. Kevin Garnett scored 21 points while Ray Allen added 13. Point guard Rajon Rondo was held to seven points and five assists.
Miami's win was in convincing fashion. The Celtics jumped ahead 11-2, but the Heat quickly cut into the lead. Mike Miller's 3-pointer broke a 26-26 tie and put Miami ahead for good.
The Heat led 47-40 at halftime and steadily built the margin. Miami was up 74-59 after three quarters and quickly built the lead to 22 points in the fourth quarter. Boston scored 12 straight points to cut the lead to 85-75, but the Heat regained control.
The game was played with postseason intensity. Jermaine O'Neal was given a flagrant foul for a body check while James was driving to the basket in the second quarter James was hit with a technical foul for throwing the ball at O'Neal. Pierce and Wade were given technicals during the incident. Bosh was later given a technical for arguing with the officials.
The Heat finish the season with games at Atlanta and Toronto. Boston visits Washington and is at home against New York.