NEW ORLEANS – Ray Allen scored 20 points, including the clinching free throws with 2.8 seconds left Saturday night, and the Boston Celtics rallied to beat the New Orleans Hornets, 89-85.

Allen also had a pivotal offensive rebound that led to Glen Davis’ two foul shots that made it 87-83 with 15.2 seconds left. Davis also had 20 points.

The Celtics trailed 56-41 early in third quarter, but closed the period with a 23-6 run to go ahead 67-64.

David West led New Orleans with 32 points. Marco Belinelli added a season-high 23 points but Chris Paul went without a basket for only the fourth time in his career, finishing 0 of 9 from the floor.

Paul barely grazed the rim on a runner in the lane that would have made it 83-83 late in the game, and Emeka Okafor was tied up for a jump ball as he went for the putback. The Hornets controlled the tip, but Belinelli was stripped as he drove to the basket.

Kevin Garnett scored to give the Celtics an 85-81 lead with 57.4 seconds. West followed with a driving bank shot, but the Hornets couldn’t get any closer.

Allen grabbed an offensive rebound off a miss from Davis seconds later. After Paul Pierce called a timeout to avoid a turnover while being trapped near midcourt, Davis was fouled and hit both free throws.

Okafor scored on a putback, but the Hornets could not prevent Allen, one of the best foul shooters in NBA history, from getting the inbounds pass.

Garnett finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.

Okafor had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets. Trevor Ariza also had 10 points.

The Celtics’ huge spurt in the third quarter started when Allen took an inbounds pass after a Boston timeout and drained a 3-pointer. Davis then scored twice in succession and Allen had three baskets, the last on a give-and-go from Garnett that put the Celtics ahead 65-64.

Davis finished the quarter with another easy layup, and Delonte West converted a three-point play at the start of the fourth to give the Celtics a 70-64 lead.

The Hornets managed just eight points in the final 10:45 of the third, and two — on a West bucket — in the last six minutes.

Paul had seven assists in the first quarter, helping New Orleans to a 28-14 lead. He finished with four points and 15 assists.

HEAT 103, NUGGETS 98: LeBron James scored 33 points, Dwyane Wade had 32 and Miami never trailed at home.

Chris Bosh finished with his fifth straight double-double, 18 points and 11 rebounds. But the Heat also may have taken a significant hit when starting point guard Mario Chalmers was carried off the floor late in the first quarter with what was called a sprained right knee.

Mike Bibby, the only other true point guard on Miami’s roster, scored 14.

CLIPPERS 100, CAVALIERS 92: Blake Griffin had 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, Eric Gordon scored 29 points in his return to the Clippers’ lineup, and Los Angeles won at home to end a nine-game losing streak against the Cavaliers.

About an hour and a half before tipoff, the arena was in lockdown while police subdued a knife-wielding man who got past security and ended up in front of the Cavaliers’ bench. Both teams were safely tucked away in their dressing rooms during the tense standoff.

GRIZZLIES 99, PACERS 78: Tony Allen had 19 points and a career-high 11 rebounds to help Memphis win at home.

Zach Randolph added 17 points and 10 rebounds for Memphis, which moved 11/2 games ahead of idle Utah for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Mike Conley also had 17 points to go with nine assists.

SPURS 109, BOBCATS 98: Steve Novak scored 19 points while Tim Duncan took his first game off all season, and San Antonio won at home.

The Spurs let Duncan, 34, rest a night after they really needed him in a victory against Dallas. They managed fine without him against the sliding Bobcats, who have dropped three straight and nine of their last 11.

Gerald Henderson led Charlotte with 19 points. Stephen Jackson, the Bobcats’ leading scorer, didn’t play because of a strained hamstring.

Only Duncan had started the first 68 games for San Antonio, having stayed healthy, unlike recent years. The Spurs listed Duncan on their pregame injury report as “trop vieux” — French for “too old.”