Heat top Celtics, extend win streak to 9
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-12-22 14:39

Dwyane Wade had 33 points and 11 assists, Udonis Haslem scored 18 points and tied a career-high with 17 rebounds, and the Miami Heat extended their winning streak to nine games Tuesday night with a 108-100 win over the Boston Celtics.

Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade, left and Boston Celtics' Gary Payton battle for control of the ball in the second quarter Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2004, in Miami. [AP]

The Heat improved to an Eastern Conference-best 20-7, despite not having Shaquille O'Neal — who missed his first game of the season because of a left calf bruise sustained in Sunday's win over Orlando.

Eddie Jones added 17 points, and Damon Jones scored 12 for Miami, which has won all 15 games this season in which it eclipsed the 100-point mark.

Paul Pierce had 25 points for Boston (11-13), which missed a chance to reach .500 for the first time this season.

Haslem had six points in a 14-5 run that put Miami ahead 101-90 with 5:21 left, a run helped by Boston missing six of its seven field-goal attempts in a six-minute span.

Boston got within nine on Tony Allen's layup with 4:01 left, but on Miami's next trip, Damon Jones hit his fourth 3-pointer of the game to push the margin back to 106-94 and help seal the win.

Miami led 87-81 after three quarters, closing that period with an 11-4 run over the final 4:20. Wade had five points in the burst, which included a scary moment that led to the ejection of Boston guard Ricky Davis.

Wade stole the ball from Gary Payton and drove downcourt, while Davis charged down the opposite wing. As Wade leaped toward the rim, Davis committed a hard foul — sending Wade crashing to the court and prompting officials to call a Category 2 flagrant foul against Davis.

Wade — who'd taken a charge against Davis less than two minutes earlier — stayed down for a few moments after the hit, but remained in the game.

Al Jefferson scored 15 points, while Davis, Payton and Mark Blount all scored 12 for Boston.

Miami made nine of 11 shots in the game's opening 6:20 — bolstered by a 4-for-4 start by Eddie Jones — yet only managed to build a 23-19 lead. Pierce had all 13 of his first-half points in a seven-minute stretch of the first quarter, which ended with the teams knotted at 33.

Boston led 60-59 after a first half that included 16 ties and seven lead changes. The Celtics shot 55 percent in the opening half, compared to 51 percent by Miami.

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