Los Angeles - The short-handed Boston Celtics rode the hot hand of Paul Pierce to shoot them over the finish line. Pierce poured in 21 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and the Celtics beat the Miami Heat 112-108 on Wednesday night to clinch their second straight Atlantic Division title.

"With bodies going down left and right, we just needed a win so desperately right now to get our spirits back up," Pierce said. "We needed an extra boost in scoring, so I just wanted to step up my game while the guys were out."

The reigning NBA Champion Celtics were without Kevin Garnett (right knee strain) for the 13th straight game, and lost fellow-All- Star Ray Allen to a hyper-extended elbow on Tuesday night.

Additionally, top reserves Leon Powe (left knee sprain) Tony Allen (thumb) and Brian Scalabrine (concussion) were sidelined by injuries.

"We're going through a tough stretch with all the injuries, but we know the big picture," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "The only way you can put a puzzle together is with the box. We just don't have all our pieces together, but we know we're going to get them back."

The Heat was without the NBA's leading scorer Dwyane Wade, sitting out his first game of the season with a right hip flexor.

"It came down to Paul and Wade," Rivers said. "And they didn't have Wade."

Rajon Rondo had 27 points while Eddie House scored 16 off the bench for Boston (51-18) which stayed one-half game ahead of Orlando for the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.

"Paul's our go-to guy, we kept going to him," Rondo said. "He was feeling it all night long. He came up big in the fourth quarter, and hit a big three (pointer) to start the overtime. That's how we got the win."

Pierce erupted for 16 fourth-quarter points, including the go- ahead jumper, putting the Celtics ahead, 100-99. However, Mario Chalmers' free throw squared it, and the game went into overtime when Pierce's game-winning jumper rimmed out at the buzzer.

The Celtics opened the extra session on an 8-0 run. House and Pierce buried three-pointers followed by Rondo's runner to make it 108-100 at the 2:54 mark. Chalmers' three drew the Heat within six. However, after House split two free throws, Pierce made both of his to wrap up the win.

Michael Beasley scored 21 points and Chalmers finished with 19 for Miami (36-31) which despite the loss remains fifth in the East playoff scramble.

Elsewhere:

Houston Rockets 106, Detroit Pistons 101 (2 OT):

China's Yao Ming had 31 points with 15 rebounds, Aaron Brooks scored seven of his 14 points in the overtime sessions and the Rockets (45-25) choked off the undermanned Pistons.

Arron Afflalo scored 24, Antonio McDyess accumulated 20 rebounds for visiting Detroit (33-34) playing without stars Richard Hamilton (groin), Rasheed Wallace (calf strain) and Allen Iverson (back).

New Orleans Hornets 94, Minnesota Timberwolves 93:

Chris Paul had 26 points, 10-assists, five-steals and fed David West for a dunk with 12.6 seconds left, allowing the Hornets to tame the visiting Timberwolves.

Kevin Love led Minnesota (20-48) with 23 points and 11 rebounds.

Chicago Bulls 103, Oklahoma City Thunder 96:

Derrick Rose scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half, including a key layup in the final minute, and the Bulls moved 1.5 games ahead of Milwaukee for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Kevin Durant topped Oklahoma City (19-49) with 28 points.

Orlando Magic 106, Milwaukee Bucks 80:

Dwight Howard had 28 points, with 12 rebounds and seven assists, powering the visiting Magic to its eighth win in the last 10 games

New Jersey Nets 115, New York Knicks 89:

Vince Carter scored 29 points, Brook Lopez had 23 and the Nets routed their cross-river rivals to complete a disappointing 1-5 road trip.

Portland Trail Blazers 95, Indiana Pacers 85:

Brandon Roy scored 20 points, and the visiting Trail Blazers remained one-half game behind Northwest Division leading Denver.

Danny Granger paced Indiana (28-41) with 35 points and 10 rebounds.

Denver Nuggets 111, Memphis Grizzlies 109:

Carmelo Anthony had 35 points, including the go-ahead three-point play with 33 seconds left, and the Nuggets rallied from 17 down in the second-half to snap a six-game road slide

Rudy Gay led Memphis (17-50) with 30 points.

Phoenix Suns 126, Philadelphia 76ers 116:

Shaquille O'Neal had 26 points with 11 rebounds, Jason Richardson scored 23 of his 25 in the second half and the Suns' moved four games