Dwyane Wade was back in his normal territory Sunday -- near the 30-point mark -- and Michael Beasley, for a riveting, four-minute stretch early in the fourth quarter, looked very much like the player every Heat fan hopes he will become.

But neither was enough, not against an exceptional Boston Celtics team and not on a night when the Heat went cold late -- from the field and at the free-throw line.

Overcoming 27 points from Wade, Boston closed the game on a 10-3 run to beat the Heat 92-85 at AmericanAirlines Arena, sending Miami off on a four-game Western swing with its second home loss in a row.

``We did enough things to put ourselves in a position to win,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ``That's what the Celtics have done to a lot of teams down the stretch. They made some shots at key times.''

Rajon Rondo set up Kendrick Perkins for a dunk that put the Celtics ahead for good, 84-82, with 2:51 left. From there, the Heat's only points came on free throws (two from Wade, one from Jermaine O'Neal). But O'Neal also missed three free throws over the final 2:51, including two with 1:09 left and the Heat trailing 89-85.

Ray Allen sank a three-pointer, and Kevin Garnett (24 points) hit two jump shots in the final 2:12, including one with 38 seconds left that put Boston ahead by six. Garnett finished 11 of 12 from the field, often shooting over Beasley.

``He's 7 feet with an eight-foot wingspan -- he's got a high release, and it's just hard to get to a shot like that,'' said Beasley, who scored the Heat's first 11 points of the fourth quarter and finished with 18 points and seven rebounds.

``They've got some of the best clutch players in the NBA.''

WADE COOLS, TOO

After relying primarily on jump shots in a subpar, 18-point game Friday against the Washington Wizards, Wade struck a far better balance Sunday and drove to the basket with his usual authoritativeness. But he scored only four points in the fourth quarter, shooting 1 for 5 from the field to finish 11 of 23 for the game.

The Heat shot 35 percent in the fourth quarter for the second consecutive game.

``We had good shots -- we just didn't make them,'' Wade said. ``The seasoned team, the veteran team, made the plays they had to make.''

Beasley, who went to halftime with five points and no rebounds, erupted early in the fourth with Garnett on the bench. Beasley's outburst began with a ferocious follow-up dunk on James Jones' three-point attempt to tie the score at 67.

Then he blocked Allen's shot at one end and hit a three-pointer on the other. Beasley followed with a short jump shot, despite being fouled on the play. He missed the subsequent free throw but soared for the rebound and was fouled again, this time making both free throws.

`HE STEPPED UP'

``We were running our offense through him, and he stepped up,'' Spoelstra said. ``He was extremely aggressive.''

Beasley then elevated for a dunk off a nifty pass from Wade, giving him 11 points in the first 3:59 of the quarter. But Beasley, who played the entire fourth quarter, did not take another shot.

Rondo made a huge difference, finishing with 13 points, 11 assists and one turnover. By contrast, Heat point guard Mario Chalmers (nine points) had one assist and one turnover.

``Rajon finds open guys like no one else in the NBA,'' Beasley said.

Said Spoelstra: ``He controlled this game as well as anybody.''

• Quentin Richardson went scoreless in nine first-half minutes in his first game back after missing four with back spasms. Jones started again at small forward, scoring four points and missing all five of his shots from the field.

• With a basket midway through the third quarter, Wade surpassed Glen Rice for the franchise record in field goals made (3,605). He had his 2000th career rebound earlier in the game. . . . Miami fell to 6-5 at home.