Forward Paul Pierce weighed in with 21 points and Kevin Garnett with 20 and 13 rebounds while guard Joe Johnson led the way for the Hawks with a game-high 29 points.
Rondo scored with a finger roll lay-up and then a hook shot to give Boston an early lead in overtime and Garnett's slam dunk gave them an 88-84 advantage with just 28.1 seconds left.
Johnson and Tracy McGrady both missed three-point attempts for the Hawks as the Celtics held on to win.
Boston's Eastern Conference rivals the Chicago Bulls again missed the injured Derrick Rose, squandering a 13-point lead in the final quarter to lose 79-74 to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Center Spencer Hawes scored 21 points and landed the go-ahead jump shot as the eighth-seeded 76ers ended the game with a rousing 23-5 run to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
Game Four is in Philadelphia on Sunday.
Boston, 40-38 ahead of the Hawks at halftime, appeared to break open a tight contest early in the final quarter with a 7-0 run.
Pierce poured in a three-point jump shot before Rondo added two more with a driving reverse layup to put the Celtics up 72-64.
When Garnett added two free throws and a two-point jumper, Boston were 76-65 ahead, the biggest lead of the night with six minutes left.
However, the Hawks clawed their way back and J ohnson's three-pointer completed a 15-4 run to tie the game at 80-80 with 1:23 remaining.
Rondo missed a driving layup soon after and on the final play of regulation, with 3.9 seconds left, Pierce narrowly missed a jump shot after a clever feint.
Game Four is in Boston on Sunday.
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