Philadelphia ? Derrick McKey hasn’t forgotten how to score or defend. He did enough of each in the final minute Sunday to solidify Philadelphia’s hold on a playoff berth.

McKey hit a corner jumper with 45 seconds left and forced Ray Allen into an airball on the final play of the game as the 76ers defeated Milwaukee 89-87, the Bucks’ ninth consecutive road loss.

Aaron McKey of the Sixers, right, passes under the outstretched arm of Milwaukee's Greg Anthony during the second half of Sunday's game in Philadelphia. The 76ers won, 89-87.

“I can’t do what I used to do unless I’m telling a story about how good I was,” quipped the 35-year-old McKey, a 14-year veteran who was signed by the Sixers in mid-January.

McKey shot 5-for-6 from the field and scored a season-high 10 points. Aaron McKie scored 15, including nine in the fourth quarter, as Philadelphia’s reserves contributed 41 points.

Eric Snow had 15 points and a season-high 14 assists as the 76ers moved out of a tie with Milwaukee for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The teams play again Tuesday at Milwaukee.

“I said to the guys when we huddled up: ‘This is the biggest game of the year,”‘ Snow said.

In their eighth game since Allen Iverson broke his left hand, the 76ers sent the Bucks to their fifth loss in six games and took a 2-1 lead over Milwaukee in the season series.

After its rematch with the Bucks, Philadelphia finishes the season with two games against Washington and one each against Orlando, Chicago and Indiana.

A loss would have left the Sixers with just a one-game lead over the eighth-place team in the conference.

“This team, honestly, needed this desperately,” coach Larry Brown said. “Look at the last five or six games with Allen out. Every game has been similar to this one and we haven’t had much to show for it.”

Ray Allen made a surprise return to the starting lineup for the Bucks and finished with 25 points, and Sam Cassell added 19. Glenn Robinson made his first four shots but missed his final nine, finishing with nine points.

Neither team led by more than seven in the physical game, a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference finals.

“This team is not ready. It’s obvious we’re living off last year,” Bucks forward Anthony Mason said.

Lakers 96, Heat 88

Miami Shaquille O’Neal returned from a two-game layoff looking rested rather than rusty.

Showing no signs of the wrist injury that sidelined him, O’Neal scored 40 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to victory over the Miami Heat.

“He’s just Shaq,” teammate Kobe Bryant said. “It seems like whenever he misses a game, he comes back with a vengeance, and you saw that today.”

The only good news for fading Miami was that Pat Riley said he’ll return as coach and president next season, despite the first losing season of his 20-year career.

“I don’t have any plans other than to coach and manage the team,” Riley said. “I like this job.”

Miami lost for the eighth time in 10 games and moved closer to elimination from the playoff race. The Heat are 11th in the Eastern Conference, five games behind eighth-place Toronto with six games left in the chase for the final berth.

Los Angeles, which has five games remaining, moved a game ahead of third-place Dallas in the Western Conference.

O’Neal made 14 of 22 shots, grabbed 11 rebounds in 41 minutes and reached 40 points for the sixth time this season.

“He was very good,” Riley said. “He just picks you apart.”

O’Neal’s baskets included a fast-break layup when Robert Horry fed him with a behind-the-back pass.

The Lakers lost both games while O’Neal was sidelined, scoring 81 points and shooting 34 percent Friday against Boston, both season lows.

“You don’t want to say that we’re a mediocre team without him,” Lakers forward Rick Fox said. “But that’s what we are.”

Said O’Neal: “We’re a better team when we have all our components working.”

On defense, O’Neal helped limit the Heat’s starting frontline to 29 points.

“Guys grabbed rebounds and dribbled out,” Fox said. “That’s because they didn’t know where he was and they had to be leery. You can see the effect he has.”

Celtics 102, Nets 90

East Rutherford, N.J. The Boston Celtics put the New Jersey Nets’ bid for their first NBA division title on hold for a couple of days, and made a little statement in the process.

Paul Pierce scored 15 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter and assisted on a big three-pointer by Antoine Walker.

The victory not only snapped New Jersey’s 13-game home winning streak, a franchise record, it also prevented the Nets from clinching the Atlantic Division title.

“I really couldn’t picture myself watching them celebrate … against the Boston Celtics,” Pierce said. “We’re going to delay that one more game. They’re going to have to do it against somebody else.”

Walker hit a three-pointer off an assist by Pierce with 2:59 left to push the Celts’ lead to 90-86, and Pierce followed with another three at the two-minute mark for a 93-86 lead.

Raptors 94, Pacers 84

Toronto Alvin Williams scored 26 points as the surging Toronto Raptors moved into playoff position.

Toronto pulled a game ahead of the Pacers in the race for the eighth and final postseason berth in the Eastern Conference.

Antonio Davis had 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Kings 116, Knicks 82

Sacramento, Calif. Chris Webber led eight Kings in double figures with 16 points and 14 rebounds.

Vlade Divac had 14 points and eight rebounds, while Peja Stojakovic had 13 points in his second game back from a nine-game absence with a hamstring injury.

Clippers 97, Nuggets 75

Los Angeles Michael Olowokandi scored 23 points, and Elton Brand had 18 points and 10 rebounds as Los Angeles snapped a three-game losing streak.

Brand had four offensive rebounds to break the single-season franchise record of 371 set by Michael Cage in 1987-88. Brand’s 54th double-double tied Sven Nater’s club record set in 1980-81.