PHILADELPHIA » Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo got it right when it mattered.

Garnett banked in a shot off Rondo’s alley-oop pass with 1.4 seconds left to give the Boston Celtics their ninth straight victory, 102-101 over the Philadelphia 76ers last night.

"Rajon threw a perfect pass and I just banked it," Garnett said. "The crazy part about all that is that I messed that play up so many times in practice. It’s only right that the basketball gods gave it to me tonight. It was a good win for us, a grind-out win. This team has been playing unbelievably."

After Philadelphia’s Andre Iguodala drove for a hook shot with 6.6 seconds left to give Philadelphia a 101-100 lead, Rondo flipped a pass from just outside the 3-point line to Garnett for the winner.

"We worked on that last week," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "We tried to run it early and had bad timing. It’s just funny how things work out. It’s a low-clock play. The ball’s in the best passer’s hands, and you have shooters on the floor. The whole sell was Paul Pierce and it worked."

Mavericks 102, Nets 89

Dirk Nowitzki had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Shawn Marion added 18 points, and host Dallas stretched its winning streak to 11 games, spoiling former Mavericks coach Avery Johnson’s return.

Johnson, fired by the Mavericks after the 2007-08 season, is in his first season with New Jersey.

Trail Blazers 97, Magic 83

Andre Miller returned from a one-game suspension to score 22 points and lead host Portland over Orlando to extend its winning streak to three games.

Celtics 102, 76ers 101

BOSTON
Pierce 3-8 4-4 10, Garnett 6-12 2-2 14, Erden 2-2 4-6 8, Rondo 9-14 0-0 19, Allen 7-10 7-7 23, Davis 7-14 2-2 16, Daniels 0-0 0-0 0, Robinson 3-7 0-0 9, Wafer 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 38-68 19-21 102.

PHILADELPHIA
Iguodala 5-14 4-4 14, Brand 5-10 3-4 13, Hawes 5-11 1-2 11, Holiday 4-13 3-5 12, Meeks 6-9 3-3 19, Young 7-11 2-2 16, Turner 0-1 0-0 0, Williams 5-10 2-3 16, Nocioni 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 37-81 18-23 101.

3-Point Goals–Boston 7-12 (Robinson 3-6, Allen 2-3, Wafer 1-1, Rondo 1-2), Philadelphia 9-19 (Meeks 4-4, Williams 4-5, Holiday 1-5, Nocioni 0-2, Iguodala 0-3). Fouled Out–None. Rebounds–Boston 35 (Pierce 8), Philadelphia 46 (Brand 14). Assists–Boston 23 (Rondo 14), Philadelphia 22 (Iguodala 11). Total Fouls–Boston 21, Philadelphia 17. Technicals–Boston defensive three second. A–17,948 (20,318).