MIAMI - Even Boston's other 'Big Three' was way too much for the Miami Heat to handle.
Leon Powe scored a career-high 25 points with 11 rebounds, Rajon Rondo tied a career-high with 23 points, and Tony Allen scored 20 points with six assists as the NBA-best Celtics to an overwhelming 117-87 victory last night over the Heat - who followed the win that snapped their 15-game losing streak with an absolute clunker.
The Celtics played without Kevin Garnett (strained abdominal muscle) and Ray Allen (flu), and the third member of their star triumverate, Paul Pierce, was scoreless for most of the first half.
Didn't matter.
Boston led by 17 after one quarter, 31 in the second before settling for a 22-point edge at intermission, and when Dwyane Wade checked out for good with 4:41 left in the third quarter the Celtics were up 88-53.
Former Heat guard Eddie House added 20 points for Boston, which outrebounded Miami 51-36 and improved its record to 35-8.
Mark Blount scored 20 points for Miami (9-34), which only matched its worst loss of the season, thanks to Earl Barron's jumper with 4.8 seconds remaining. Luke Jackson scored 14 for the Heat.
Wade finished with seven points on 1-for-9 shooting, and departed after the third quarter with flu-like symptoms. The Heat lost Udonis Haslem, who was the only Miami player to start all 43 games, with a sprained left ankle in the second quarter.
By the end, there wasn't much booing.
Of course, most who stayed for the final horn donned Celtics green.
Leon Powe scored a career-high 25 points with 11 rebounds, Rajon Rondo tied a career-high with 23 points, and Tony Allen scored 20 points with six assists as the NBA-best Celtics to an overwhelming 117-87 victory last night over the Heat - who followed the win that snapped their 15-game losing streak with an absolute clunker.
The Celtics played without Kevin Garnett (strained abdominal muscle) and Ray Allen (flu), and the third member of their star triumverate, Paul Pierce, was scoreless for most of the first half.
Didn't matter.
Boston led by 17 after one quarter, 31 in the second before settling for a 22-point edge at intermission, and when Dwyane Wade checked out for good with 4:41 left in the third quarter the Celtics were up 88-53.
Former Heat guard Eddie House added 20 points for Boston, which outrebounded Miami 51-36 and improved its record to 35-8.
Mark Blount scored 20 points for Miami (9-34), which only matched its worst loss of the season, thanks to Earl Barron's jumper with 4.8 seconds remaining. Luke Jackson scored 14 for the Heat.
Wade finished with seven points on 1-for-9 shooting, and departed after the third quarter with flu-like symptoms. The Heat lost Udonis Haslem, who was the only Miami player to start all 43 games, with a sprained left ankle in the second quarter.
By the end, there wasn't much booing.
Of course, most who stayed for the final horn donned Celtics green.
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