James and Wade score 63 as Heat top Celtics

MIAMI (AP):

A year ago, the story was different for LeBron James.

Exactly 365 days after losing Game Two of the Eastern Conference semi-finals at home - his former home in Cleveland, anyway - against Boston, James was on the cusp of losing the upper hand to the Celtics again.

Not this time.

James scored 24 of his 35 points in the second half, Dwyane Wade added 28 and the Heat used a late 14-0 run to pull away and beat the aching Celtics 102-91 in Game Two of their Eastern Conference semi-final series on Tuesday night.

"Feel good about it," James said. "Series is far - far, far, far - away from over. It's really just beginning for us."

James shot 14 of 25 from the field and logged 44 minutes with no turnovers. Chris Bosh finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds for Miami, which lead the best-of-seven 2-0.

Game Three in Boston isn't until Saturday night and the Celtics may be particularly thankful for the break.

Rajon Rondo played through a balky back to score 20 points and add 12 assists for Boston, which got 16 points from Kevin Garnett and 13 from Paul Pierce - who retreated to the locker room for treatment on his strained left Achilles' in the first half.

Ray Allen was held to seven points and left with what he said was a bruised chest cavity courtesy of an elbow from James in the third quarter.

"Being down 2-0 doesn't scare any of us, doesn't make us nervous," Allen said. "It's just an opportunity to come out shining."

Boston tied the game at 80 on a pair of free throws by Pierce with 7:10 left. The Celtics missed their next six shots and Miami pulled away, taking command of both the game and the series. And for James, it was delicious irony.

"We finally wore them down," James said.

This is now the ninth time Boston have dropped the first two games in a best-of-seven series. In the previous eight, the Celtics prevailed only against the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1969 NBA finals. And it's something this group of Celtics have never faced before either.

Thunder 111, Grizzlies 102

IN OKLAHOMA CITY: Kevin Durant scored 26 points, James Harden led an outburst by Oklahoma City's bench with 21 and the Thunder evened their series with Memphis at one game apiece.

After scoring just 16 points in a Game One loss, the Thunder's bench tripled that number and put Oklahoma City firmly in control with an 18-6 run to start the fourth quarter.

Russell Westbrook scored 24 and his backup, Eric Maynor, added 15 for the Thunder.

Mike Conley scored 24 for Memphis, which cut a 21-point, fourth-quarter deficit to six in the final minutes.