Allen scores 33 points to lead Celtics past Cavs

BOSTON (AP) — Ray Allen scored a season-high 33 points, hitting his sixth 3-pointer to give the Celtics a four-point lead with 48 seconds left, and Boston held on despite 42 points from LeBron James to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-113 on Sunday.

The win snapped a three-game home losing streak for Boston, and it kept the Cavaliers from clinching home-court advantage for the entire postseason.

James scored 20 in the fourth quarter, when the Cavs erased a 17-point lead and took their first lead of the game, 104-103, with 2:58 left. But he missed two free throws in the last 16 seconds and a 3-point attempt on a fast break with 3.2 seconds left when a 2-pointer would have tied it.

James was 0 for 9 from 3-point range in all, including a meaningless, unguarded shot at the final buzzer that bounced off the rim. Afterward, he and Kevin Garnett exchanged dirty looks — a fitting end to a game that featured six technical fouls and the ejection of Cleveland coach Mike Brown.

Story appears in Monday’s edition.