CELTICS 115, HEAT 107: Paul Pierce scored 27 points and paced a red-hot shooting night as visiting Boston won its fourth straight game and beat Miami for the second time in 10 days.

The Celtics improved to 8-2 in the last 10 contests and snapped a five-game losing streak in Miami.

Pierce was 8 for 16 from the floor – part of a 60.6 percent shooting effort from Boston, which went 9 for 14 from beyond the arc. Pierce beat Chris Bosh with a scooping layup to put the Celtics ahead by seven points with just over a minute remaining.

Kevin Garnett continued to thrive at center, scoring 24 points and pulling down nine rebounds. Rajon Rondo finished with 18 points and 15 assists.

The Celtics jumped out to an 18-point lead in the first half and continued to weather pushes from the Heat, who pulled as close as one point in the fourth quarter but fell at home for only the fourth time this season.

LeBron James led Miami with 36 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Dwyane Wade, who sat out the previous game with a sore right ankle, scored 16 of his 20 points in the first half. Chris Bosh chipped in with 13 points and nine rebounds.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Avery Bradley continued to start at shooting guard over Ray Allen. He scored 11 points in 24 minutes while Allen had nine in 34. … Boston hit its first five 3-point attempts. … James scored 11 in the third quarter for the third straight game.