Iguodala, Sixers Top Celtics

March 25, 2008 -- BOSTON (AP) -- The Philadelphia 76ers are closing in on a playoff berth, and now they have a record they can be proud of, too.

Andre Iguodala scored 10 straight points during a 19-0 run that brought Philadelphia back from a double-digit, fourth-quarter deficit Monday night, and the 76ers beat the Boston Celtics 95-90 to move above .500 for the first time this season.

Big LetdownThe Celtics were on their way to their 56th victory, but poor shooting coupled with a feisty and hungry 76ers team down the stretch landed Boston a home defeat.

"It shows how hard we've worked to get back," said Iguodala, who finished with 28 points. "But I think we still have to have that mentality like we're a team that's still under .500 and still fighting. It's not over yet. We've gotten to a point where we want to be, which is over .500, but we still don't have an 'X' by our name" to signify a playoff berth.

Eddie House's 3-pointer gave Boston an 80-69 lead with 8:20 to play, but the Celtics didn't score again until Pierce hit a free throw with 1:38 left. By that time, the Sixers were on their way to their 18th win in 23 tries, improving their record to 36-35 and moving them into postseason contention.

"They are making a good run at the playoffs over the last month and a half," Celtics forward Paul Pierce said. "They will be a dangerous team in the playoffs."

The Sixers won just five of their first 18 games and sat 18-30 seven weeks ago. But with Monday's win, they pulled ahead of Toronto and into sixth place in the Eastern Conference, a game behind fifth-place Washington.

Beating the top team in the NBA also gave them a jolt of confidence.

"It's huge when you come in here and win a game like this against Boston, it does a lot for us," coach Maurice Cheeks said. "We still have a long way to go. This is just one step to try and get to where we want to be."

Andre Miller scored 20, Thaddeus Young had 16 points and nine rebounds, and Samuel Dalembert grabbed 12 boards for Philadelphia.