Kevin Garnett had 26 points and 16 rebounds, Rajon Rondo added 20 points and 13 assists, and the Boston Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 96-89 on Wednesday night to move within a win of the Eastern Conference finals.

Paul Pierce scored 29 and helped shut down LeBron James for much of the second half to give Boston a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven conference semifinal. Game 6 is in Cleveland on Friday night, with the deciding game in Boston on Sunday _ if necessary.