Paul Pierce scored 27 points while Kevin Garnett contributed 24 points and nine rebounds, as the the Celtics established an 11-point lead in the first quarter and never let the Heat back in.

LeBron James was the standout performer for the Heat as he scored 36 points.

The Chicago Bulls settled back into life without Derrick Rose with a 98-86 win over the New York Knicks.

Rose sprained an ankle in his comeback game at the weekend following a 12-game absence so sat out the action again on Tuesday.

But the Bulls did not miss him as Richard Hamilton scored 20 points while Luol Deng added 19 points and 10 rebounds.

76ers triumph

The Philadelphia bench got the job done as the 76ers beat the New Jersey Nets 107-88.

The top three Nets scorers all come off the bench, Louis Williams leading the way with 20 while Spencer Hawes and Thaddeus Young added 19 apiece.

The Orlando Magic could not compensate for the absence of Dwight Howard as they slipped up 93-85 against the Washington Wizards.

Kevin Seraphin had 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Wizards, who got their first win in 10 encounters with the Magic as Howard sat out with a minor back problem.

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Charlotte Bobcats 103-90 and the Dallas Mavericks were 110-100 winners over the Sacramento Kings.