Allen scored 14 points in fourth quarter to secure win.
There were nine games on the NBA schedule on Sunday night, with the Miami Heat taking centre stage and making a statement against the Houston Rockets.
Ray Allen scored 14 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter while both Dwyane Wade and LeBron James scored 24 points each to snap their worst stretch of results since 2011.
Chris Bosh added 18 points to help Miami win for just the second time in its last seven games, as they had insisted prior to the game that it was a season-defining game as they looked to bounce back from recent disappointment.
James Harden (30 points) and Dwight Howard (21 points and 14 rebounds) threatened to extend the woes of the defending champions, but a late rally from the hosts ensured they got over the hump and can now look to build on this performance.
“Tonight we came out and finished the game,” Allen said, “as opposed to letting it slip away from us.”
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, the Toronto Raptors saw their home winning streak of four games end at the hands of the Phoenix Suns, with Gerald Green scoring 28 points to lead the visitors.
Suns coach Jeff Hornacek will have been delighted with the effort from his players as he got contributions across the roster with Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe and Markieff Morris amongst those to get into double scoring figures.
The win boosts their chances of making the playoffs as they keep the pressure on the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth and final spot in the West, while the Raptors’ slip up leaves them just a half-game above the Chicago Bulls for the third seed in the East.
There were no such problems for the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night, with Tim Duncan collecting the performer of the night award, going for 16 points along with six rebounds and six assists.
It was a tenth straight win for the Spurs who continue to lead the way both in the West and in the NBA overall, with Manu Ginobili scoring 21 points to just reiterate that there is plenty left in this team moving forward.
Tony Parker had 18 as San Antonio became the first team to reach 50 wins this season, and while coach Gregg Popovich insisted that he “didn’t really care”, he revealed that the team are thinking about the bigger prizes.
Their bid for the top seed in the West was helped by the Dallas Mavericks who caused a shock by defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road.
Russell Westbrook was rested as it was revealed he would sit some back-to-backs, and that left Dirk Nowitzki to score 17 points and lead his team to victory.
Stephen Curry’s 37-point night and and Blake Griffin’s near triple-double ensured that both the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers picked up wins, the latter making it 11 straight now.
NBA Results:
Charlotte Bobcats 101-92 Milwaukee Bucks
Phoenix Suns 121-113 Toronto Raptors
Houston Rockets 104-113 Miami Heat
Boston Celtics 120-121 New Orleans Pelicans
Sacramento Kings 102-104 Minnesota Timberwolves
Dallas Mavericks 109-86 Oklahoma City Thunder
Utah Jazz 104-122 San Antonio Spurs
Golden State Warriors 113-112 Portland Trail Blazers
Cleveland Cavaliers 80-102 Los Angeles Clippers
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