The Celtics' league-record 27-2 start and franchise-best 19-game winning streak came to a crashing halt on Christmas Day, when their 92-83 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers opened a 2-7 stretch that was the team's worst since it acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen before last season.

But Boston (34-9) has responded emphatically, comfortably winning the last three games of its five-game run. After two wins by an average of 26.0 points over New Jersey last week, the Celtics routed Phoenix 104-87 on Monday, opening up a 30-point halftime lead before cruising.

"I don't think this is a team that will get shaken or rattled when we go through a struggle," forward Paul Pierce said. "We stay together and we kept our heads up. I never really thought we lost our confidence. We're still the defending champions. It's just a matter of remembering who we are as a team."

Boston has defined itself by defense since Garnett's arrival, and the Suns managed only 34 first-half points Monday. Phoenix's leading scorer, Amare Stoudemire, was held to three points on 0-of-7 shooting in the game.

The Celtics, meanwhile looked much better offensively, with point guard Rajon Rondo leading the way. Rondo had averaged just 8.8 points on 41.3 percent shooting from Dec. 25 through the weekend, but he was 9-of-15 from the field against Phoenix, scoring 23 points to go with seven assists.

Allen added 20 points, while Garnett had 16 and eight rebounds in just 25 minutes.

"I just like where we're going right now as a team," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.

Going on the road has been a problem for Boston recently, with the club having lost six of nine away from home, including defeats at Golden State, New York and Charlotte. This trip will provide even bigger challenges, with Thursday's visit to red-hot Orlando - a team the Celtics suddenly trail in the Eastern Conference.

But first they'll have to face the Heat, who have won five of their last six at home, looking much different from the last time Boston saw them.

The Celtics won 88-62 to complete a four-game season sweep last March 30, as Miami set an NBA shot clock-era low with 17 field goals made. The Heat's starting frontcourt for that game included current D-Leaguer Kasib Powell and Earl Barron, who is now playing in Italy.

Behind a healthy Wade, Miami (22-18) now looks like a playoff team, with wins over the Lakers and Cleveland during a 10-6 run over the past month.

Wade, the NBA's leading scorer with 28.9 points per game, racked up 32 points and 10 assists on Sunday, as the Heat capped a 4-3 road trip with a 104-94 victory over Oklahoma City. Miami played that game without injured forward Shawn Marion, while rookie Michael Beasley was limited to four points after averaging 17.1 in his previous eight games.

"It's the time of the season that everyone's banged up," said Wade, who is battling sore knees. "Everyone's just banged up, but now we've got a couple days off before we've got to play Boston. It'll give everybody an opportunity to get healthy and get some rest."

The Celtics are hoping to have starting center Kendrick Perkins back for this game. Perkins is day-to-day after missing the last five games with a shoulder injury.