Rondo's knee injury puts damper on Celtics' win over Heat

A double-overtime victory against LeBron James and the defending NBA champions was difficult to celebrate for Paul Pierce and the Celtics.

News of Rajon Rondo's season-ending knee injury spoiled the party.

"Everyone was really happy for the win," Pierce said after Boston beat the visiting Miami Heat 100-98 Sunday. "It brought a dark cloud in this room when you heard the news."

When coach Doc Rivers told his players after the game, the joy of ending their six-game losing streak stopped, even if they had just outlasted the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference, which came in with a four-game winning streak.

Now the Celtics must try to keep winning without their leader, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee late in Friday night's 123-112 loss, also in double overtime, in Atlanta.

They won Sunday after Pierce's 22-foot jumper with 31 seconds left gave them a 99-98 lead.

But making the playoffs got harder as the Celtics try to hang on to the eighth and final postseason spot in the conference with a 2 1/2-game lead over the Philadelphia 76ers.

This game was the first in Boston for Ray Allen since he left the Celtics after five seasons and signed as a free agent with Miami. He scored 21 points.

Kevin Garnett had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Pierce added 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for the Celtics.

James had 34 points for the Heat, whose winning streak stopped at four.

"As much as I've been a rival with Boston over the years, I never want to see anyone go down," James said. "It's terrible, not only for their team but for the league."

Lakers 105, Thunder 96: Kobe Bryant had 21 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds, Steve Nash added seven of his 17 points in the final 5 1/2 minutes, and host Los Angeles held off NBA-leading Oklahoma City.

Knicks 106, Hawks 104: Carmelo Anthony tied a franchise record with nine 3-pointers, then converted a go-ahead, three-point play with 12.5 seconds left to cap a 42-point night and lead host New York over Atlanta.

Mavericks 110, Suns 95: Shawn Marion scored 18 points for Dallas in his 1,000th game, and Dirk Nowitzki also had 18 while passing Allen Iverson on the career scoring list in host Dallas' win over Phoenix.

Hornets 91, Grizzlies 83: At Memphis, Tenn., Ryan Anderson scored 22 points for New Orleans, connecting on seven 3-pointers, to lead the Hornets over Memphis.

Pistons 104, Magic 102: Brandon Knight had a career-high 31 points, including five 3-pointers, and Greg Monroe scored 17 to lead Detroit at Orlando.

Clippers 96, Trail Blazers 83: Blake Griffin had 23 points and nine assists, helping host Los Angeles beat Portland to stop a four-game losing streak.