Celtics 85, Heat 82: Mike Miller’s Last-Second Miss Gives Boston Third Win Over Miami

The Heat and Celtics have met three times in the 2010-11 season. And the Celtics have won each time.

Boston pulled out an 85-82 win at the TD BankNorth Garden, but needed a Mike Miller miss at the buzzer to maintain the lead. After LeBron James missed a game-tying free throw moments earlier in the final minute, he found an open Miller for a three from the top of the arc, but Miller was only able to catch iron.

It was a sour note to end an awful day from Miller, who went one-for-five from three-point range and managed just five points.

The Celtics opened their lead with a 35-point third quarter, but spent most of the fourth quarter watching it dwindle. Chris Bosh led all scorers with 24 points, and was lethal from the field, making eight of 11 shots. James added 22 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, while Dwyane Wade’s struggles against the Celtics continued, with a poor shooting day (six of 17) and just 16 points to go with six turnovers.

The Celtics, meanwhile, relied on a balanced offense: no Boston player scored more than 20 points — Kevin Garnett led the C’s with 19 — but the Celtics had six players in double figures, including little-used reserve Von Wafer. And Boston needed it, given Paul Pierce’s struggles: Pierce was zero for 10 from the field, and scored just one point.

For more on the Celtics, check out SB Nation Boston and CelticsBlog. For Heat analysis, visit Peninsula Is Mightier.