Celtics 111, Heat 110
MIAMI -- Forward Jeff Green hit a buzzer-beating, fall-away 3-pointer over LeBron James as the Boston Celtics stunned the Miami Heat 111-110 on Saturday at American Airlines Arena.
Boston won its third game in a row after starting the season 0-4.
Green, who scored 43 points in a loss to Miami last season, led the Celtics with 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting.
James played through a sore back and finished two rebounds short of a triple-double, with 25 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. James scored 11 in the fourth quarter as the Heat constantly went to him late.
He hit two free throws with three seconds left to turn the Heat's two-point lead into a two-possession game that appeared to ice the game against the young, scrappy Celtics.
But forward Gerald Wallace scored on a layup to cut the lead to 110-108 with 1.6 seconds left. Wallace fouled Dwyane Wade, who missed one free throw and then intentionally missed the second.
Guard Avery Bradley, who finished with 17 points, hit a 15-foot step-back jumper with 38 seconds remaining to cut the Heat lead down to two, but after Heat forward/center Chris Bosh missed a jumper on the other end, Boston rookie center Kelly Olynyk missed a mid-range jump shot as he attempted to lean into an airborne defender to try to draw a foul.
Guard Jordan Crawford scored 15 and forward Jared Sullinger pitched in 12 for Boston.
Michael Beasley found ways to score against Celtics forward Kris Humphries. The Heat forward scored all 10 of his points in the second quarter in just his second game since his return this season to the organization that drafted him No. 2 overall in 2008.
Beasley was one of three Heat players -- along with James and Bosh -- to score in double figures in the first half. He did not play in the second half.
Crawford scored 11 of his 15 in the first half, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to send the Celtics up 60-59 at halftime.
NOTES: Despite being bedridden all day with soreness in his lower back, F LeBron James started in his normal role. "I got out (of) bed twice today," James said. ... The Celtics came to Miami to play on the second night of a back-to-back after winning 91-89 in Orlando on Friday, Boston's second straight win after starting 0-4. ... Miami PG Mario Chalmers was fined $15,000 by the NBA for his hit on Blake Griffin in Thursday's 102-97 win against the Clippers ... Rookie C Kelly Olynyk got his first career start after Brazilian C Vitor Faverani started the Celtics' first six games.
