Walker Guides Celtics By Heat

February 9, 1999 / 11:58 PM EST / AP

Antoine Walker scored 31 points Tuesday to help the Boston Celtics beat the weary, injury-depleted Miami Heat for the first time in three years, 108-101.

Walker, scoring from the point and the paint, shot 12-for-27 and had 10 rebounds. Kenny Anderson scored 22 points and rookie Paul Pierce added 19, including three key baskets in the final 4@1/2 minutes to stymie Miami's comeback bid.

The Celtics had lost nine in a row to the Heat since beating them Feb. 3, 1996 in Miami.

The Heat completed the first stretch of three games in three nights in franchise history. The defending Atlantic Division champions, who fell to 1-3, were again without starters Jamal Mashburn and Voshon Lenard.

Mashburn will be sidelined at least two weeks with a deep knee bruise. Lenard will undergo surgery this week to repair a stress fracture in his leg and is expected to be sidelined at least eight more weeks.

Tim Hardaway scored 24 points for the Heat. Alonzo Mourning, plagued by foul trouble, managed just 14 points and nine rebounds in 30 minutes.

The Heat, who had squandered 15-point leads each of the previous two nights, this time raced to a 23-13 advantage, but the lead was gone by the second period.

The Celtics had the edge in a streaky third period, outscoring Miami 12-2 for a 59-50 lead. The Heat immediately ran off 14 consecutive points and led 64-59, but Boston promptly answered with 12 in a row, capped by eight straight from Walker, to go up 71-64.

Boston led the rest of the way.

Notes. Walker averaged 23.5 points per game against Miami last season. He has scored at least 20 points in every game this year. ...The Heat beat Boston by an average of 19 points in their four-game sweep of last season's series. ... Celtics shooting guard Ron Mercer (knee) and forward Walter McCarty (toe) missed the game.