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MIAMI – Eddie House scored 20 points — more than he'd managed in any game this season — in the second quarter, finishing with 25 and the Boston Celtics ran their winning streak to six games by downing the Miami Heat 98-83 on Wednesday night.

Ray Allen scored a game-high 27 for the Celtics, who were a season-high 15-for-25 from 3-point range. It matched the most 3's ever allowed by the Heat in their 21 seasons. Kevin Garnett had 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Paul Pierce added 14 points for Boston.

Dwyane Wade accepted his NBA player of the month award for December at halftime, under less-than-ideal circumstances — his team trailed 57-34. Wade finished with 25 points, Daequan Cook scored 20 and Michael Beasley added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat (22-19).

Boston never trailed, running out to a 29-10 lead after one quarter and maintaining a double-digit lead the rest of the way. The Celtics (35-9) visit Orlando (33-8) on Thursday in a matchup of two of the league's top teams.

Miami got within 11 twice in the latter stages of the third quarter, only to have House — a former Miami guard — shoot the Heat back each time. House dribbled his way free for a 20-foot jumper near the top of the key, then took a pass from Pierce for a 3-pointer that gave Boston a 78-64 lead entering the fourth.

House essentially finished what Allen started.

Allen — who attended the inauguration of President Barack Obama on Tuesday, spending more than an hour walking to his seat in the wintry air — showed no signs of fatigue. He made his first three shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, to stake Boston to a quick 11-2 lead.

From there, the defending NBA champs were off and running.

Miami got within 11 once in the fourth quarter as well, only to see that snuffed out by an 8-0 run by Boston. Garnett hit a jumper, Allen then made consecutive 3-pointers, and the building quickly emptied during a time-out with 3:56 left and Boston up 95-76.

For good measure, Allen made another 3 — his fifth of the night — on Boston's next possession.

The first quarter was one to forget for the Heat, who finished with a season-low 10 points after the opening 12 minutes, digging a 19-point hole.

Shawn Marion, who was limited to eight minutes — he took treatment for a sore left groin throughout the day but wound up starting — missed an easy dunk, perhaps the ultimate lowlight for Miami.

The Celtics also outrebounded Miami 18-5 in the first quarter, finishing the game with an 48-30 margin.

There was fleeting hope for Miami midway through the second quarter, when Wade's dunk off a fast break drew the Heat within 41-29 with 5:54 left in the half.

That's when House took over, sparking a 16-5 run by the Celtics.

He hit four 3-pointers in a span of 4:04, chatting with anyone in his general vicinity after the last two. Meanwhile, Miami missed eight of its final 10 shots of the half.

Notes:@ Miami had given up 15 3-pointers on four other occasions, most recently against Phoenix on Nov. 9, 2007. ... House's six 3-pointers in the second quarter were the most Miami had ever allowed in a quarter. ... Miami's franchise record for lowest-scoring first quarter is eight points. For any quarter, it's seven. ... The Celtics got C Kendrick Perkins back after a five-game absence with a sore left shoulder. Perkins played in about 6-minute intervals, which is what Boston coach Doc Rivers planned. ... Hall of Fame QB Dan Marino was in the crowd, as was former Heat trainer Ron Culp, who retired last season after 20 years with the club.

LOS ANGELES – Perhaps now the Los Angeles Lakers can put the anguish of losing the NBA finals to Boston and the embarrassment over the way the series ended behind them.

Kobe Bryant had 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists, Pau Gasol scored seven of his 20 points in the final three minutes, and the Lakers beat Boston 92-83 Thursday to snap the Celtics' franchise-record 19-game winning streak.

AP – Boston Celtics' Rajon Rondo drives to the basket past Los Angeles Lakers' Andrew Bynum during the first

The game was the first between the teams since the Celtics romped to a 131-92 victory in Game 6 of the finals last June to win their first championship in 22 years and league-high 17th title. The Lakers blew a 24-point second-quarter lead in Game 4 at Staples Center to fall behind 3-1 — a deficit that's never been overcome in the finals.

The victory was the 1,000th for Phil Jackson, enabling him to become the sixth NBA coach to reach that milestone. The 63-year-old Jackson has a career record of 1,000-423 in 17-plus seasons as coach of the Chicago Bulls and Lakers. He became the fastest to win 1,000 games, surpassing Pat Riley, who did it in 1,434 games.

"Here we are, a game that's been pointed to since the schedules came out," Jackson said beforehand.

The longtime rivals have met in the NBA finals 11 times, with the Celtics going 9-2.

The Celtics entered with a 27-2 record — the fastest start by a two-loss team. They were in pretty good shape when Kevin Garnett put them ahead 81-79 with 3:57 remaining, but the Lakers went on a 13-2 run to finish the game.

Lamar Odom had 10 points and seven rebounds, and Sasha Vujacic also scored 10 for the Lakers (24-5), who won their 12th straight game at home, where they're 15-1. Andrew Bynum, who missed most of last season and the playoffs with an injured knee, had nine points and seven rebounds.

Garnett shot 11-of-14 in leading the Celtics (27-3) with 22 points, and he also had nine rebounds. Paul Pierce added 20 points and 10 rebounds, but didn't score in the fourth quarter. Ray Allen scored 14 and Rajon Rondo had 12 assists for Boston.

A 15-foot jumper by Gasol with 2:48 snapped an 81-all tie and put the Lakers ahead for good. Allen's 3-pointer failed, and Gasol scored from close range off an assist from Bryant with two minutes left, putting Los Angeles up by four and sending the crowd of 18,997 into a frenzy.

Garnett answered with a jumper to draw the Celtics within two, but Gasol's three-point play with 1:28 left put the Lakers on top 88-83. Gasol then blocked a 3-pointer by Allen, setting up Trevor Ariza for a dunk that gave Los Angeles a seven-point lead with 1:12 to go. Bryant's basket completed the scoring.

Boston's Eddie House made his only basket with 8:09 remaining to tie it at 75. Neither team led by more than two points after that until the Lakers took command down the stretch.

Pierce scored five points and Allen added three during an 8-0 run that put Boston ahead 64-62. Then, with Bryant on the bench, Odom made two 3-pointers, and the Lakers outscored the Celtics 9-3 to finish the third period and take a 71-67 lead.

Vujacic scored eight points and Bryant added six during a 16-5 run to begin the second quarter, giving the Lakers a 39-29 lead, and they were on top 51-45 at halftime. The Celtics shot 2-of-13 to begin the period and 7-of-12 to finish it. Boston attempted only two free throws in the half — by Pierce with 13.5 seconds left.

Neither team led by more than three in the first quarter, which ended with the Celtics on top 24-23. Boston shot 61.1 percent to 47.6 percent for the Lakers, but committed six turnovers.

Notes:@ Boston's Glen Davis returned to action after missing two games because of a concussion sustained in a traffic accident last Sunday, and had four points and four rebounds in a reserve role. ... The Lakers played without backup point guard Jordan Farmar, who underwent knee surgery Wednesday and will be sidelined approximately eight weeks. ... The game marked the first time in NBA history that two teams met with so few losses (seven) this late in the season. ... The game was the 10th straight for the Lakers on Christmas. They have an overall record of 20-15 on Christmas including 11-6 at home. ... It was the Celtics' first game on Christmas since 2002. They have a 10-15 record, going 9-15 on the road and 1-0 at a neutral site. They have never played at home on Christmas. ... The game was the first on Christmas between the teams since 1970, when the Lakers won a 123-113 decision at the Forum in nearby Inglewood.