Heat prevail 108-105 in OT, lead series 3-0

One of the luckiest bounces of Vince Carter's career -- five or six bounces, actually -- couldn't keep the New Jersey Nets from falling behind 3-0 to the Miami Heat.

Carter forced double overtime with a shot that danced all around the backboard and rim before dropping through, but there was no more magic for the Nets after that in a 108-105 double-overtime loss at home to the Heat on Thursday night.

Now, the problem confronting New Jersey is one that no NBA team has ever solved -- overcoming a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series.

Miami can complete a sweep Sunday.

Shaquille O'Neal had his best game of the series with 25 points, Udonis Haslem had the final go-ahead basket among his 14 points and 19 rebounds, Dwyane Wade had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Eddie Jones added 20 points for the Heat

Carter scored 36, Richard Jefferson had 23 and Jason Kidd had a triple-double of 16 points, 13 assists and 16 rebounds for the Nets.

Pacers 99, Celtics 76

Reggie Miller scored 33 points before a home crowd, including 15 in the fourth quarter, and Indiana pulled away for a 2-1 lead in the series. Game 4 will be here Saturday night, and the series will return to Boston on Tuesday.

Miller hit his first two shots, a big 3-pointer that put Indiana in control in the first quarter and another 3-pointer during a 17-3 run that broke the game open with less than six minutes to go.

Jermaine O'Neal had 21 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. Paul Pierce led Boston with 19 points.

Mavericks 106, Rockets 102

Playing with the desperation of a team facing elimination, even though they weren't, the Mavericks clawed their way back into the first-round series with a road win. It took a rejuvenated Dirk Nowitzki to save them. Nowitzki emerged from a two-game slump to score 28 points and keyed a 17-0 run in the fourth quarter that deflated the Rockets.

Michael Finley scored 20 points, Jerry Stackhouse added 18 and Josh Howard had five big points in the late comeback.