• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Celtics push streak to six, crush Heat

Jan 22, 2009 - 4:46 AM By Christopher Stock PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

MIAMI (Ticker) -- Ray Allen scored 27 points and Eddie House added 20 of his season-high 25 points in the second quarter as the Boston Celtics won their sixth consecutive game, 98-83, over the Miami Heat on Wednesday.

Kevin Garnett had 16 points and 13 rebounds and Paul Pierce chipped in 14 and eight to steady the Celtics.

Boston led 16-4 to start the game, sparked by a pair of 3-pointers by Allen. The Celtics continued their first-quarter surge, leading 29-10 at the end of the opening 12 minutes.

"I was (playing) with the start," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said about his first-quarter strategy. "I think we are playing well especially coming out of the gates."

The Heat made just 5-of-22 shots in the first quarter, establishing a season low for points in a quarter.

"Right from the get-go, you could see our minds were not right," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Then House took over.

House came off the bench and drilled 6-of-8 from behind the 3-point arc. The 25 points were the most he had scored since collecting 26 at Charlotte on December 30, 2005, when he was with the Phoenix Suns.

"I haven't been shooting particularly well this season and these are the types of shots you want to get yourself going," House said. "To get looks like this was great."

Miami pulled within 75-64 late in the third, but it would be the closest the Heat would get the rest of the way as the Celtics used an 11-0 run late in the fourth quarter to put the contest away.

"As much as we are a post-up team, we get so many perimeter shots from them going down and having to double (Garnett)," Allen said. "Teams have been doubling Kevin all year, it's just a matter of where we find ourselves."

Dwyane Wade scored 25 points to lead the Heat, who returned home for the first time after a franchise-tying seven-game road trip. Miami went 4-3 on the trip.

"They did a good job of knowing where we were going to be and making the adjustment to get a better shot," Wade said. "It's tough to cover it."

Daequan Cook added 20 points off the bench for the Heat.