Heat 102, Celtics 91
LeBron James scored 12 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter as the Miami Heat answered any questions about their ability to pull out a close game when they ran away from the visiting Boston Celtics, 102-91, in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Tuesday.
Dwyane Wade added 28 points and Chris Bosh chipped in 17 and 11 rebounds for the Heat, who took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven set.
Miami has struggled all season against top teams, especially when the score is close in the fourth quarter. The Heat had no such trouble with the Celtics on Tuesday, turning an 80-80 deadlock with less than seven minutes left into an easy win with 14 unanswered points.
James scored seven points during the burst and the Miami defense held Boston off the board for nearly four minutes.
Rajon Rondo collected 20 points, 12 assists and six rebounds for the Celtics, who got only seven points from Ray Allen in the contest. Allen sat out for a long stretch in the second half after suffering a bruised chest.
The series shifts to Boston for Game 3 on Saturday.