Celtics tie series with Cavs 1-1

CLEVELAND (AP) - The window hasn't closed on the Boston Celtics. It's still wide open.

Rajon Rondo tied a team playoff record with 19 assists, Ray Allen scored 22 points and the Celtics, showing they're still very dangerous despite their years, opened a 25-point lead in the fourth and then survived Cleveland's comeback for a 104-86 win on Monday night to even their semifinal series at 1-1.

After blowing an 11-point lead in the third quarter of Game 1, the Celtics almost squandered a much bigger one. They led 91-66 with 9:08 left, but the Cavs scored 15 straight and pulled within 93-83 on LeBron James' basket with 3:13 left.

Boston, though, closed with an 11-3 spurt.

James scored 24 and Antawn Jamison 16 for Cleveland, outscored 31-12 in the third.

Game 3 is Friday night in Boston.

The Celtics seemed in control with their 25-point bulge, but they got complacent and found themselves having to scramble down the stretch when they could have been resting up.

"We were playing the clock instead of the game and got stagnant," Rondo said.

But leading 93-83, Boston regrouped. Rondo and Allen scored, then Kevin Garnett completed a three-point play to make it 100-84, allowing Celtics coach Doc Rivers to finally relax after watching his club play inspired ball most of the way before letting up.

Garnett finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Paul Pierce scored 14.

Suns 111, Spurs 102: There would be no Game 1 heartbreak for Phoenix against the San Antonio Spurs. Not this time.

After resting his sore hip for three days, Steve Nash had 33 points and 10 assists, and the host Suns fought off third- and fourth-quarter rallies to beat the Spurs in the opener of their Western Conference semifinal series.

Jason Richadson scored 27 and Amare Stoudemire had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Suns.

Manu Ginobili, tape across his broken nose, scored 27, Tony Parker 26 and Tim Duncan 20 for the Spurs, who had won four straight Game 1s against the Suns, two of them in Phoenix. Both of those times, in 2005 and 2007, the Spurs went on to win the NBA title.