Pierce beats buzzer, Heat

  • Discuss Comment, Blog about
  • Print Friendly and PDF

MIAMI (AP) - Paul Pierce's 21-foot jumper at the buzzer - with injured Miami star Dwyane Wade watching helplessly from the bench - gave Boston a 100-98 win Friday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference first-round series.

The Celtics lead the best-of-seven 3-0, and will go for the sweep Sunday in Miami. No NBA team has ever rallied from an 0-3 deficit.

Wade hurt his left calf after missing a 3-pointer with 14 seconds left, with replays showing he landed on Celtics guard Ray Allen's foot. Wade crumpled to the court and was carried off by reserve center Jamaal Magloire and trainer Jay Sabol.

Pierce finished with 32 points, while Allen added 25 for the Celtics, who got 17 from Rajon Rondo and 16 from Kevin Garnett.

Wade finished with 34 points, eight assists and five rebounds for the Heat, who rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter to take the lead.

Spurs 94, Mavericks 90

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Playing with a bandage across his nose after getting popped by Dirk Nowitzki's elbow, Manu Ginobili helped San Antonio hold on in a wild fourth quarter.

Ginobili scored 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter with a possibly broken nose.

The Spurs took a 2-1 lead by surviving the NBA's best road team, and Nowitzki torching the Spurs for 35 points after a shaky Game 2.

Game 4 is Sunday in San Antonio.

Tim Duncan scored 25 points for the second straight game for the Spurs.

Jason Terry scored 17 points and J.J. Barea had 14 for Dallas, but Caron Butler never left the bench in the second half and finished with two points.

Nowitzki was 13 of 23 from the field and jump-started a 17-0 run in the third quarter that got the Mavs back into the game.

Tony Parker had 23 points as San Antonio's sixth man, a role Ginobili held for many years.

Comments

Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.

Sign in to comment