Celtics win 6th straight, roll past Heat 98-83

MIAMI(AP) Something about playing in Miami brings out the best in Eddie House.The
former Heat guard scored 20 points - more than he'd managed in any game
this season - in the second quarter, finishing with 25 and the Boston
Celtics ran their winning streak to six games by downing the Miami Heat
98-83 on Wednesday night.It was House's first 20-point game since Boston played at Miami in January 2008."Guys
found me in open spots, they were fronting the post and we were moving
the basketball,'' House said, while teammate Sam Cassell chanted
"Edd-ie! Edd-ie'' in the background. "And I was knocking them down.''He
was 7-for-11 from 3-point range, Ray Allen was 5-for-6, and the Celtics
finished a season-best 15-for-25 from beyond the arc, matching the most
3's ever allowed by the Heat in their 21 seasons.Allen finished
with a game-high 27 points, Kevin Garnett had 16 points and 13
rebounds, while Paul Pierce added 14 points for Boston."Eddie was phenomenal,'' Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "And we needed him, too.''Dwyane
Wade accepted his NBA player of the month award for December at
halftime, under less-than-ideal circumstances - his team trailed 57-34.
Wade finished with 25 points, Daequan Cook scored 20 and Michael
Beasley added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat."I'm not
sure I recognized what team was out there,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra
said. "We were doing things thay I hadn't seen us do this season.''Boston
never trailed, running out to a 29-10 lead after one quarter and
maintaining a double-digit lead the rest of the way. The Celtics (35-9)
visit Orlando (33- on Thursday in a matchup of two of the league's
top teams.Miami got within 11 twice in the latter stages of the
third quarter, only to have House - who spent his first three seasons
with the Heat - answer each time. House dribbled his way free for a
20-foot jumper near the top of the key, then took a pass from Pierce
for a 3-pointer that gave Boston a 78-64 lead entering the fourth."I think Eddie really needed a breakout game like this,'' Pierce said.House essentially finished what Allen started.Allen
- who attended the inauguration of President Barack Obama on Tuesday,
spending more than an hour walking to his seat in the wintry air -
showed no signs of fatigue. He made his first three shots, including a
pair of 3-pointers, to stake Boston to a quick 11-2 lead.From there, the defending NBA champs were off and running.Miami
got within 11 once in the fourth quarter as well, only to see that
snuffed out by an 8-0 run by Boston. Garnett hit a jumper, Allen then
made consecutive 3-pointers, and the building quickly emptied during a
time-out with 3:56 left and Boston up 95-76.For good measure, Allen made another 3 - his fifth of the night - on Boston's next possession."There
were some backbreakers out there, Eddie House early on, then Ray
Allen,'' Wade said. "They did a good job of knowing where we were going
to be.''The first quarter was one to forget for the Heat, who finished with a season-low 10 points, digging a 19-point hole.Shawn
Marion, who was limited to eight minutes - he took treatment for a sore
left groin throughout the day but wound up starting - missed an easy
dunk, perhaps the ultimate lowlight for Miami.The Celtics also outrebounded Miami 18-5 in the first quarter, finishing the game with an 48-30 margin.There
was fleeting hope for Miami midway through the second quarter, when
Wade's dunk off a fast break drew the Heat within 41-29 with 5:54 left
in the half.That's when House took over, sparking a 16-5 run by the Celtics.He
hit four 3-pointers in a span of 4:04, chatting with anyone in his
general vicinity after the last two. Meanwhile, Miami missed eight of
its final 10 shots of the half."We were terrible defensively,''
Beasley said. "We let a team come in and get into our heads. They kind
of threw us off our game.''