Celtics playoff perfect at home, beat Cavs 96-89

BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhuanet) -- The Boston Celtics are on the road again, looking for an Eastern Conference semifinal's clinching victory after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 96-89 Wednesday night.

"We know it's a win-or-go-home situation. We've got to approach it that way," said LeBron James, who scored 23 of his 35 points in the first 20 minutes and then went cold again. "We're a very good team at home. But a LeBron James team is never desperate."

Paul Pierce scored 29 points and helped shut LeBron James down for much of the second half. The Cavaliers forward had 23 points with 3:50 left in the first half but made just one basket in the next 20 minutes as Boston erased a 14-point deficit and took the lead for good.

Kevin Garnett had 26 points and 16 rebounds, and Rajon Rondo added 20 points and 13 assists as the Celtics moved within a win of the conference finals. Game 6 is Friday night in Cleveland.

"This momentum, and what we did here tonight," Garnett said, "we've got to figure a way to carry this on the road."

The Celtics are undefeated at home but they have yet to win on the road, a streak that allowed the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks to go the distance in the first round and let Cleveland back in this series after Boston won the first two games.

Delonte West had 21 points for Cleveland, which missed 10 free throws in the second half. Cav center Zydrunas Ilgauskas was held to playoff-low six.

Boston, which had an NBA-best 66-16 record in the regular season, has the home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. But no team has ever won a title without winning an away game.

(Agencies)