Roy Hibbert scored 26 points and Danny Granger added 18 as the Indiana Pacers maintained their grip on the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference by holding off the visiting Boston Celtics 107-100 on Monday.

Darren Collison scored 17 points and A.J. Price chipped in 15 off the bench for the Pacers (33-42), who stayed one game ahead of the Charlotte Bobcats for the final playoff spot in the East.

Rajon Rondo returned from a one-game injury absence and collected 22 points and eight assists but it wasn’t enough for the Celtics (51-22), who slipped into a tie for second in the East with the Miami Heat, two games behind the Chicago Bulls.

Paul Pierce scored 23 for Boston.

Boston held an 85-81 edge entering the fourth quarter but in what is becoming a disturbing pattern, the bench failed to generate much offense.

Indiana took advantage and went ahead 92-89 before the Celtics managed their first field goal of the period at the 7:30 mark.

Boston tied it again briefly at 94-94 with 5:47 left, but Collison scored four points during an 8-0 burst over the next two minutes as the Pacers took the lead for good.