Celtics Outlast Heat

    Ray Allen made his return to Boston on Sunday and buried 21 points in 38 minutes as the Miami Heat fell to the Celtics 100-98 in double overtime at TD Garden. Allen signed with the Heat during the summer after he played with the Celtics for five seasons which included one NBA championship in 2007-08. The Heat dropped to 10-10 on the road this season.
    Neither team led by more than five points in the opening quarter as Miami(28-13) was up 26-22 after one quarter. The Heat extended their lead to 33-25 with 8:47 left in the second quarter, but the C's came back with a 20-12 spurt at the end of the first half and went into halftime tied 45-45.
    Both clubs stayed within four points of each other in the third quarter as Miami had a 68-64 lead at the end of the period when they scored the last seven points.
    Boston(21-23) got their biggest lead in regulation when Kevin Garnett nailed an 18-foot shot with 59.9 seconds left to make it 85-81. Allen drained a three-point shot to cut the margin down to one with 25 seconds to go. Jason Terry converted two free throws four seconds later for a Celtics 87-84 lead. LeBron James tied the game on a 26-foot three-point shot from the top of the arc with seven seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.
    The Heat began the extra session with a 6-2 edge, but Boston tied it at 93-93 when Garnett, who scored all of Boston's six points in overtime, hit two straight field goals and moved it into a second overtime. The C's won a double overtime game two days ago in Atlanta against the Hawks.
    In double overtime, Terry made two foul shots at 4:16 then Chris Bosh pounded in a dunk at 2:53 to tie it at 95-95. James drove down the lane for a field goal and a free throw with 1:01 to go. Boston would score the final six points in the sixth stanza. Terry made a driving lay-up at 54 seconds, Paul Pierce hit a go-ahead outside field goal with 30 seconds left and a free throw with five seconds to go.
    James led the way for the Heat with a double-double of 34 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in  52 minutes. Dwyane Wade knocked down 17 points with seven assists in 47 minutes while Chris Bosh had a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds in 46 minutes.
    Garnett got a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds in 45 minutes. Pierce had a triple-double as he contributed 17 points, 10 assists and 13 rebounds in 49 minutes. Terry scored 13 points in 32 minutes and Jeff Green got 11 points in 42 minutes.