(Sunday, April 4th)

Final Score: Boston 117, Cleveland 113

Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Ray Allen scored 33 points on 6-of-9 from three- point range, as the Celtics held off a late Cavaliers rally for a 117-113 win at TD Garden.

Kevin Garnett added 19 points, while both Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce netted 16, as the Celtics broke their three-game losing streak. The victory moved Boston within a game of idle Atlanta for the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt.

"Alot of energy today," said Garnett. "It had all the makings of the playoff atmosphere. I could just feel it. We needed this game. It was a dogfight."

LeBron James paced all players with 42 points, including 32 in the second half. He also had nine assists and seven rebounds for the Cavaliers but missed a go-ahead three-point attempt with 4.9 seconds left and went 0-for-9 from behind the arc overall.

"We got a couple more stops and made a couple more shots," said James talking about the Cavs big run to get back in the game. "We are a very good rebounding team and without Andy (Varejao) and Shaq, we were still able to go out and collect rebounds. It was a great performance by us."

Antawn Jamison scored 16 with 10 rebounds in defeat, as Cleveland, which had already clinched the top seed in the East, lost for the first time in four games. With the Lakers loss, Cleveland clinched home-court advantage throughout the entire playoffs.

The Cavs mounted a 24-7 run that bridged the final two quarters but couldn't take the victory.

The Cavs' big run pulled them within five points at 101-96 after a Jamison triple. Cleveland then took its first lead of the game at 104-103 after an Anthony Parker fadeaway bank shot with just under three minutes to go.

Allen's hot shooting got the Celtics back up at 112-108 after a key three- pointer with 47.9 seconds to go, but Parker answered with a three; Kendrick Perkins had a chance to put Boston ahead by four in the final seconds but missed two free throws, which allowed James to grab the rebound and rise up for the potential game-winning shot in the final seconds. The attempt nailed the side of the rim and fell out of bounds to Boston, and Garnett then nailed two foul shots to put the game away.

Both teams shot 50 percent in the opening quarter, as Boston jumped out to a 33-24 advantage, with Allen scoring 10 in the frame. The Celtics then converted on 61.1 percent of their shots in the second quarter to take a 64-49 halftime edge.

In the third, the Celtics led by as many as 22, before the Cavs made the run to set up the frantic last few minutes of play.

Game Notes

Boston and Cleveland split four games this season...The Cavs still need one more road win to tie the franchise record with 27...Cleveland shot 51.3 percent from the floor, while Boston converted on 48.8 percent of its shots...Perkins finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds...Mo Williams added 17 points and J.J. Hickson chipped in 14 with 11 rebounds for the Cavs...Cavs coach Mike Brown was ejected in in the third quarter after double-technical fouls.

04/04 18:10:24 ET