Boston

- The Cavaliers dug themselves in a hole so deep last night, that they didn't see the light until the final minute.

But it was too late.

The Cavs rallied from a 19-point, fourth-quarter deficit and came within three, but Antoine Walker's 3-pointer with 45 seconds left faded the Cavs' hopes to dark as the Boston Celtics defeated the Cavs, 104-98, at the FleetCenter.

Andre Miller scored a career-high 36 points and Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 14, but the dynamic duo of Walker and Paul Pierce, who combined for 58 points, were too much for the Cavs (10-15), who lost for the third time in four games.

That the Cavs were even in this game at the end is close to a miracle when one considers what transpired in the first half.

The Cavs shot 35 percent from the field in the first half and were down, 54-35, at halftime. The Cavs' shot so many airballs that they trailed, 21-13, at the end of the first quarter behind miserable 28.6 percent shooting from the field. Cavs coach John Lucas tried to generate some offense from his bench in the second quarter, but he couldn't find a spark.

Lucas made an adjustment in the second half. He went back to his bench for help.

"We looked for a combination of guys that could produce the type of energy we needed to get back into the game," Lucas said. "Being able to play 'Z' helped a little because we were able to play an inside-outside game. Our shots also started to fall."

The Cavs went on an early run, but the Celtics (15-8) didn't waver and led by 17 heading into the fourth. But the reserves that included Bryant Stith, a former Celtics player, made the difference in the fourth. The Cavs climbed back and Jumaine Jones' 3-pointer with 4:46 left cut the Celtics' deficit to 91-86.

Jones finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

"We got back in because we were able to hit some baskets," Stith said. "We struggled during the first half and that created a big problem for us, and we were able to get things going in the second half."

The offense continued to go behind the combination of Miller and an inspired Stith, who scored a season-high 10 points. Miller's layup with 1:02 left made it a 99-96 deficit.

But big-time players come through in big-time situations, and that's what Walker provided for the Celtics. Walker entered last night's game 0-for-11 from the 3-point arc.

"We ran a double on Kenny Anderson and he swung the ball to Pierce," Lucas said.

"He got it and swung it to the corner and we were out of rotation. Walker's shot sealed the game."

The Cavs are off today but will return to action tomorrow at Miami.

The Cavs are 2-0 against the Heat this season, including a seven-point victory at Miami on Nov. 2 and a four-point overtime victory in Cleveland on Nov. 24.