BOSTON (AP) – Paul Pierce’s 20-footer with nine seconds left gave the Boston Celtics their third straight win, all of them close, and kept the Miami Heat in their deepest slump of the season.

The Celtics won 101-99 Friday night despite a 34-point performance from Shaquille O’Neal in his second game since missing three with a stomach ailment and viral infection that left him unable to eat for several days.

Boston, which needs one more win or a loss by Philadelphia to clinch the Atlantic Division title, won for the fifth time in six games. Miami, which has already clinched the top seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs, lost its season-high fourth consecutive game.

With the score 98-93, Miami scored the next six points on O’Neal’s layup and two free throws and Eddie Jones’ layup that made it 99-98 with 18 seconds left.

The Celtics had hurt themselves on their previous three possessions by forcing up shots just before the 24-second clock expired. But this time they hurried downcourt, and Pierce, who led them with 22 points, sank his jumper from the right side.

With one possession left, Jones inbounded the ball to Dwyane Wade, who drove up the left side and put up a shot that was tipped by Boston’s Kendrick Perkins and went long. O’Neal tapped the ball back up, but that shot also was too hard and bounced off the backboard.

Pierce got the rebound and made one free throw with six-tenths of a second left. Wade’s 24-foot desperation shot missed badly at the buzzer. The Celtics had won their previous two games by seven points over Philadelphia and three points over Milwaukee, both on the road. Wade finished with 17 points after scoring just two in the first half. One night earlier, he scored a career-high 48- a club record for points in a road game – in a 126-119 overtime loss at Philadelphia.

Udonis Haslem had 13 points and 15 rebounds for Miami.

Boston got 16 points from Ricky Davis, all in the first half, and 13 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists from Antoine Walker.

The Celtics dominated the first half, building a 54-37 lead before the Heat cut that to 54-46 at intermission. Then they started the second half with a 12-4 run that ended with Wade’s stuff off an alley-oop pass. That tied the game 58-58 with 8:11 left in the third quarter.

Miami outscored Boston 35-25 in the quarter led by 16 points from O’Neal and 11 from Wade.

Sparked by rookie Al Jefferson’s 13 points in the fourth quarter, Boston rallied from an 81-79 deficit after the third quarter to a 96-89 lead on his two free throws – the last of his 19 points – with 5:32 remaining.

Notes: Boston broke a four-game losing streak to Miami. … The Heat’s last victory was at home on April 5, 104-86 over Chicago. … The lead changed hands 10 times in the third quarter.

AP-ES-04-15-05 2239EDT