Celts rout Brooklyn
NEW YORK — Rajon Rondo scored 19 points in his first full game against Brooklyn this season, and the Boston Celtics beat the Nets, 93- 76, in another game with heated moments between the division rivals.
Rondo, sidelined in the first meeting and thrown out of the second after shoving Nets forward Kris Humphries into the courtside seats, outplayed counterpart Deron Williams and helped the Celtics take control early.
Rookie Jared Sullinger tied a career high with 16 points, and Jeff Green had 15 for the Celtics ( 14- 13), who avoided falling under .500 with their second victory in six games.
Gerald Wallace and Brook Lopez each scored 15 for the Nets, who have lost four of five.
The Celtics took control with a 23-5 run in the second quarter. They had 11 assists on 13 baskets and outscored the Nets 34-18 in the period.
A month after the teams scuffled in Boston, there was another skirmish in the fourth quarter that resulted in four technical fouls.
Williams had only 10 points on 3- of- 7 shooting, and Joe Johnson, his partner in a highpriced backcourt, shot 4 of 14 for his 12 points.
Boston's Kevin Garnett had eight points and 10 rebounds on the day he tied Charles Oakley for 15th place on the NBA's career list with his 1,282nd game.
Heat 103, Thunder 97 MIAMI — LeBron James finished with 29 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, Dwyane Wade scored 21, and the Miami Heat survived a frantic finish to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-97 in an NBA Finals rematch on Tuesday.
Mario Chalmers scored a season- high 20 for the Heat, who matched the franchise's best 25- game start at 19- 6. Chris Bosh added 16 for Miami, which has beaten the Thunder five straight times going back to last June's title series.
Kevin Durant scored 33 points and Russell Westbrook added 21 for Oklahoma City, but both Thunder stars missed potentially game-tying 3- point attempts in the final seconds. Serge Ibaka and Kevin Martin each added 15 for the Thunder, who have dropped two straight for the first time this season.
The Heat went 19 for 19 from the foul line, the secondbest effort in franchise history.
Rockets 120, Bulls 97 CHICAGO — James Harden scored 26 points and Jeremy Lin added 20 points and 11 assists to lead the Rockets.
Omer Asik returned to the United Center and had a double-double with 20 points and 18 rebounds in his first trip back to Chicago since signing with the Rockets in the offseason.
The Rockets starters all scored in double figures. Chandler Parsons added 23 points and Marcus Morris had 10.
Houston has won six of seven.
The Rockets had been just 3-7 on the road entering Tuesday, but a strong second quarter turned the holiday matchup into a blowout. The Rockets outscored the Bulls 31-19 in the period to break the game open.