Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen (right) hit a 3-point shot with 2 seconds left on Monday to beat the Chicago Bulls.
BOSTON – Ray Allen landed the final blow in a memorable duel with Ben Gordon,, shooting the Boston Celtics back into their first-round NBA playoffs series.
Allen made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 2 seconds left and finished with 30 points, leading the Celtics a 118-115 win over the Chicago Bulls in Game 2 on Monday night.
Gordon nearly carried Chicago to a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. He scored with 12.3 seconds left to tie it, the final hoop of his playoff career-high 42 points. Then Boston set up a play for Allen, who took a pass from Rajon Rondo and connected from the right side.
Allen scored 28 points after getting some advice from coach Doc Rivers at halftime.
“Doc said going into the half, ‘Be aggressive, but let it come to you,’ ” Allen said. “I never think I’m not in my rhythm. It can be a grind as a shooter. As a scorer you’re always trying to find something.”
Allen and Gordon each had several clutch baskets in the second half as the two former University of Connecticut guards battled for control of the game. After Tyrus Thomas missed a shot from midcourt as time expired, Allen headed for his bench where injured Kevin Garnett delivered a couple of congratulatory slaps – to his head and chest.
Allen said he doesn’t like “being made a fuss over.” But that was unavoidable after he broke out of his shooting slump. He scored just four points on 1-for-12 shooting and missed the final shot in Chicago’s 105-103 overtime win Saturday.
“It felt like we were at UConn in the summertime playing pickup,” Gordon said. “He is a great shooter and I knew he would break out eventually.”
The next two games of the series are scheduled for Chicago on Thursday night and Sunday.
“We feel very confident because we feel like we haven’t even played good basketball yet,” Boston’s Paul Pierce said. “Our best is yet to come.”
The Bulls showed they could compete with the Celtics, who could be without Garnett (strained right knee) for the rest of the playoffs.
“We got a split and that’s tough to do against the defending champs,” Gordon said.
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TUESDAY’S NBA GAMES
Detroit at Cleveland, 5 p.m., TNT
Houston at Portland, 7 p.m., NBA TV
Utah at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m., TNT