BOSTON, Massachusetts (AFP) - The Boston Celtics rallied for a 96-89 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday to move within one game of advancing in the National Basketball Association playoffs.

Kevin Garnett scored eight of his 26 points in a furious third quarter, and Rajon Rondo finished with 20 points and 13 assists as the Celtics stayed perfect at home this postseason.

With the victory the Celtics took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series, from which the winner will advance to a meeting with the Detroit Pistons in the conference finals.

Paul Pierce had a team-high 29 points - including eight on free throws in the final 1:23.

Game six will be on Friday in Cleveland, where the Celtics haven't won since 2004.

"We've got some work cut out for us as we go out here on this road and try to close this out, which is the most important thing for us right now," Pierce said.

The Celtics are 0-5 on the road in the playoffs, but have dominated at home.

Cleveland superstar LeBron James looked like he might turn the tables early. He scored 11 points in the first quarter and was up to 23 when a jump shot late in the second quarter stretched the Cavaliers' lead to 43-29.

However James, the five-time All-Star who was 8-of-42 from the floor in the first two games of the series, didn't score again until the final minute of the third quarter.

By then, Garnett and Rondo had taken over.

Rondo, who had made two 3-pointers in a game just once in his career, buried two in a span of 46 seconds to spark a 14-3 scoring run that closed the first half and pulled Boston within 46-43.

"The second quarter - we had a lot more energy," said Garnett, who led all players with 16 rebounds. "Offensively, Rondo hit some big shots, got us going, got us in the flow, and we carried it over to the third quarter."

Little more than a minute into the second half Rondo's steal and layup saw the Celtics take the lead for the first time in the game, and Pierce drained a 3-pointer midway through the third to break a 55-55 tie and put the Celtics ahead for good.

"He was the X-factor tonight," James said. "Rondo played an excellent game. Without Rondo tonight, it would've been a much tighter game. Rondo was the player of the game tonight."

After James' last basket of the first half put the Cavaliers ahead by 14, Boston outscored Cleveland 42-16 in a run spanning more than 15 minutes.

With 3:38 to play Boston led 88-77, but the Cavaliers made the most of two turnovers by the Celtics to close the gap to four points in the final minute.

Garnett missed a jump shot on Boston's next possession, but Ray Allen tipped the miss out to Pierce, who was fouled and made two free throws to make it 93-87 with 15.6 seconds remaining.

After Delonte West hit a pair of free throws for the Cavaliers, Pierce sank two more, and Cleveland's five-second violation with 11 seconds left doomed their comeback bid.

James finished with 35 points but had just four baskets in the second half.

"They came out and turned up their aggression in the third quarter, and that was the difference in the ballgame," said Cavaliers coach Mike Brown. "That set the tone for the Celtics, it set the tone for the crowd and it was a rough go from there."