Allen, Celtics win a shootout

Ray Allen landed the final blow in a memorable duel with Ben Gordon on Monday night, shooting the Boston Celtics back into their first-round Eastern Conference series.

Allen made a tiebreaking three-pointer with two seconds left and finished with 30 points, leading the Celtics to a 118-115 win over the Chicago Bulls at TD Banknorth Garden in Boston.

Gordon nearly carried Chicago to a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. He scored with 12.3 seconds left to tie it, the final basket of his playoff career-high 42 points. Then Boston set up a play for Allen, who took a pass from Rajon Rondo and connected from the right side.

Allen scored 28 points after getting some advice from Coach Doc Rivers at halftime.

“Doc said going into the half, ‘Be aggressive, but let it come to you,’ ” Allen said. “I never think I’m not in my rhythm. It can be a grind as a shooter. As a scorer you’re always trying to find something.”

Allen and Gordon each had several clutch baskets in the second half as the former University of Connecticut guards battled for control of the game.

Allen said he doesn’t like “being made a fuss over.” But that was unavoidable after he broke out of a shooting slump. He scored only four points on one-for-12 shooting and missed the final shot in Chicago’s 105-103 overtime win Saturday.

“It felt like we were at UConn in the summertime playing pickup,” Gordon said. “He is a great shooter, and I knew he would break out eventually.”

The next two games of the series are scheduled for Chicago on Thursday night and Sunday.

San Antonio 105, Dallas 84 -- Tony Parker had 38 points and eight assists to help the Spurs beat the Mavericks and even the best-of-seven Western Conference series, 1-1.

Dallas was trying to send the third-seeded Spurs to consecutive home playoff losses for the first time since 2002 but couldn’t contain Parker, who had 27 points in the first half.

Jason Terry finished with 16 points for Dallas, which suffered one of the worst losses in the playoff rivalry, two nights after beating the Spurs, 105-97, for its first road playoff win in three years.

Game 3 is Thursday in Dallas. San Antonio has come back to win four playoff series after losing Game 1 since 2002.