NBA: Garnett nearly perfect as Celtics top Heat 92-85

MIAMI — Kevin Garnett scored 24 points on 11 of 12 shooting, Ray Allen delivered the big blow with a 3-pointer with 1:38 left and the Boston Celtics rallied to beat the Miami Heat 92-85 on Sunday night.

Paul Pierce scored 15 points and Kendrick Perkins finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds for Boston, which opened a four-game road trip by winning its fourth straight. Rajon Rondo had 13 points and 11 assists for the Celtics, who wasted an 11-point third-quarter lead and were down by five with 9 minutes remaining.

Dwyane Wade scored 27 points for Miami, which has lost six of nine and opens a trip Tuesday in Portland. Michael Beasley added 18 and Jermaine O'Neal finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who went the final 4:26 without a field goal.

Up by 1 with 2:30 remaining, Garnett hit a jumper before Allen — who missed practice Saturday and had the option of missing the flight to Miami because his 2-year-old son is ill — perfectly used a screen by Perkins to shake free of Wade and connect from the top of the key, giving Boston an 89-83 lead.

Garnett finished it off with 38.3 seconds left, his jumper from the left elbow restoring Boston's six-point margin.

It was the third time Garnett made at least 11 field goals and shot 90 percent or better from the field in a game. He was 11 of 12 against Dallas on March 30, 1999 and 12 of 13 at Portland on Feb. 3, 2006.

Boston was in control early after halftime, before Miami got back into it with defense.

Boston missed 10 of 11 shots in a 7<0x00BD>-minute stretch of the third quarter, turning the ball over three times in the span as well, and the Heat made the entire deficit disappear.

Naturally, Wade led the charge in what was a 14-3 run. He scored 10 of the points and found Beasley for a dunk with 3:55 left that tied it at 62.

And with Wade on the bench to open the fourth, Beasley took over the scoring load.

Beasley's 3-pointer with 10:02 left gave Miami a 70-67 lead, its first since midway through the second period. He took Rasheed Wallace off the dribble and scored, missed the free throw, but got fouled again by Wallace 1 second later and hit both free throws for a 74-69 Heat advantage with 9:18 left.

The Celtics — who missed three shots in the first quarter and shot 64 percent in the first half — had missed 14 of 18 from the floor before Brian Scalabrine's 3-pointer with 8 minutes left. Rondo tied it at 76 with an acrobatic, falling-down layup, and the Celtics would escape.

For two of the league's top defensive teams coming in — Boston ranked No. 3 in points per game allowed, Miami No. 7 — the early minutes were a foulfest.

O'Neal was out of the game before it was 2 minutes old with two fouls, and backup center Joel Anthony needed only five minutes before picking up three fouls of his own. The Celtics shot 9 of 12 from the floor in the opening quarter, plus 11 of 12 from the line, and still trailed Miami 31-29 after the first 12 minutes.

The Celtics led 55-48 at the half after outscoring Miami by 10 in the final five minutes before the break.

NOTES: Fined $30,000 earlier Sunday for criticism of officials after Boston beat Toronto on Friday, Rasheed Wallace picked up his seventh technical foul of the season, arguing with referee Bennett Salvatore over a non-call. ... The Celtics expect to be without reserve guard Tony Allen for the entire four-game trip as he continues to recover from offseason ankle surgery. He's been targeted to make his season debut Dec. 8 against Milwaukee. ... Wade went over the career 2,000-rebound mark. ... Clarence Clemons and Celine Dion were in attendance.