Boston survived a giant scare to take a 2-0 series lead in the NBA Finals on Sunday night after defeating Los Angeles 108-102.

The Celtics led by twenty-two points heading into the fourth quarter, and twenty-four with just over seven minutes to play, but the Lakers then made a furious run outscoring the home team 41-25 in the fourth.

Bryant and Co. simply ran out of time as Boston will take a 2-0 lead to Los Angeles for Game Three on Tuesday night.

Paul Pierce posted 28 points and 8 assists, and Kevin Garnett added 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Celtics, who shot 52% from the field and outscored the Lakers by 24 points over the second and third quarters.

Leon Powe starred for the Celtics off the bench, scoring 21 points in just fifteen minutes of play.

Bryant brought the Lakers to within two points with just 38.4 seconds left after sinking a pair of free throws, but Pierce drove to the basket and earned himself a trip to the line with 22.8 seconds left on the clock.

He drilled the first to give the Celtics a three-point lead, then drained the second to make the score 106-102 in Boston's favor.

Bryant finished the game with 30 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds while Pau Gasol tallied 17 points and 10 boards in the loss the Lakers, who made 49% of their shots and went 10-for-21 from behind the three-point line.

Vladimir Radmanovic played well, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He stole the ball in the final minute, which led to an easy dunk to keep the L.A. in the game.

The Celtics attempted 38 free throws, hitting 27 of them, against just ten attempts for the Lakers (they converted all ten).

Sasha Vujacic attempted a three but had his shot blocked by Pierce as the Lakers failed to get the ball in the hands of Bryant on what was the team's last chance to remain in the game.

James Posey grabbed the rebound off the miss and hit a pair of foul shots to ice Boston's victory.

Derek Fisher missed a last-ditch three-pointer as time winded down, ending L.A.'s chance to trim the lead.

Game Three will be Tuesday night in L.A. as the Lakers look to find some home-cooking on the West Coast.