CLEVELAND — The Boston Celtics didn’t completely collapse.

They merely crumbled this time.

Two days after blowing a big late lead and losing at home to Cleveland, the Celtics nearly did it again before recovering and hanging on for a 93-90 win over the scrappy Cavaliers, who trimmed a 22-point deficit to 2 in the final minutes.

Paul Pierce scored 20 points, Ray Allen had 12 in the third quarter and Kevin Garnett made a key jumper down the stretch for the Celtics, who came away victorious but unfulfilled.

“I hate it,” Allen said. “We won, but I take it as a loss in terms of getting better. Being able to play for a full four quarters is what I want. Every day we have to get better.”

On Sunday, Boston wasted an 11-point lead in the final 4:25 as the Cavaliers scored the game’s final 12 points, capped by sensational rookie Kyrie Irving’s layup with 2.6 seconds left, to stun the Celtics.

It nearly happened again, but the Cavs couldn’t quite climb out of a 22-point hole.

“We just couldn’t finish it off,” said Irving, who scored 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. “We fought back. They gave us their best shot and it came down to the final minutes. We’ve just got to keep our energy up for 48 minutes.”

Garnett and Brandon Bass added 13 points apiece for the Celtics, who were again without All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo. He missed his seventh straight game with an injured right wrist, and although the Celtics improved to 5-2 without him, it was anything but easy.

Anderson Varejao added 20 points and a career-high 20 rebounds for the Cavs, who were also short-handed while playing without injured guards Daniel Gibson and Anthony Parker.

KNICKS 113, PISTONS 86: Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points in his return to the lineup, Landry Fields added 16 of his 18 in a flawless first half, and New York snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory at home.

Tyson Chandler had 17 points and Amare Stoudemire 15 for the Knicks, whose slumbering offense awoke in just their second victory in 11 games. They shot 60 percent from the field – amazingly the first time they bettered 50 percent all season – and fell just a point short of matching their highest-scoring effort.

Anthony had missed two straight games because of injuries to his ankle, wrist and thumb.

PACERS 106, NETS 99: Paul George scored a career-high 24 points to lead Indiana past visiting New Jersey.

Danny Granger had 21 points and seven rebounds and Roy Hibbert had 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Pacers, who went on a 12-0 run midway through the third quarter and eventually led by as much as 18 in the fourth.

Deron Williams scored 34 points for the Nets, who have lost two straight overall and nine straight against the Pacers.

HAWKS 100, RAPTORS 77: Joe Johnson needed just three quarters to match his season high with 30 points, Tracy McGrady scored 15 against his former team and visiting Atlanta recorded its sixth consecutive victory over Toronto.

Atlanta’s leading scorer, Johnson has averaged 30 points in his past four games against Toronto.

GRIZZLIES 100, NUGGETS 97: O.J. Mayo scored 18 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 35 seconds left in overtime, as Memphis snapped a four-game losing streak with a victory at home over Denver.

Mayo’s basket gave Memphis a 98-97 lead, and two free throws by Mike Conley with 8 seconds left gave the Grizzlies the final margin. Rudy Fernandez’s potential tying 3-point attempt in the closing seconds for Denver bounced off the rim.