USA - Celtics withstand Bryant's heroics to go up 3-2 in finals

Boston (NBA) - The Boston Celtics overcame Kobe Bryant's 38-point explosion to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 92-86 and take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven games series.

The series shifts back to Los Angeles for Game 6 on Tuesday and, if needed, Game 7 on Thursday.

Bryant scored 23 consecutive points for the defending champions Lakers over the course of the late second quarter and the first 10 minutes of the third period, but that seemed to play into the hands of the Celtics who saw their lead increase from one to 13 in that stretch of time.

The Lakers did cut the deficit in the final frame, getting within 87-82 on three Bryant free-throws with 1:30 left to play. But Ron Artest then missed a pair from the charity stripe and Paul Pierce fed a streaking Rajon Rondo for a lay-up and an 89-82 cushion with 35 seconds remaining.

Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett sealed the game's outcome from the free-throw line and the Celtics became the first team to win consecutive games in the series.

Pierce had his best game of the finals, finishing with 27 points, while Kevin Garnett filled the stats sheet with 18 points, 10 rebounds, five steals, three steals and two blocks and Rondo contributed 18 points of his own as well as handing out eight dimes.

After the game, Celtics head coach Doc Rivers praised his team for not getting deflated as Bryant scored time and time again and shut down the rest of the Lakers.

"I just tried to keep telling them, it's only two points each time he scores. It's not 10," he said.

"It's just like if someone else was scoring…I love that our guys for the most part understood what he was doing. But we defended everyone else and I thought it was big."

Spain's Paul Gasol was the only other player to score in double-figures for the Lakers, finishing with 12 points. He also grabbed 12 rebounds.

FIBA