The China Mail - Rockets comeback sinks Phoenix on Durant return

Durant, who was traded from Phoenix to Houston last year, received a mixed reception upon his return to Arizona, with sections of the Suns home crowd subjecting him to boos throughout a see-saw game.

Phoenix needed a victory to keep their faint hopes of bagging an automatic playoff spot in the Western Conference alive.

And the home side got off to a dream start after surging into a 21-point first-quarter lead against a stunned Rockets line-up.

But Houston recovered before outscoring Phoenix 38-21 in the fourth quarter to complete a victory that means the Suns will miss out on direct entry to the playoffs.

"They hit us with a good punch early on...I love how we weathered the storm and stayed together and took that first punch," Durant said.

"It's a great team win."

The Minnesota Timberwolves will instead be assured of the final playoff ticket from the Western Conference after cruising to a 124-104 defeat of the struggling Indiana Pacers.

After the Pacers led briefly in the first quarter, Minnesota quickly asserted their superiority and led by eight points heading into the second quarter.

The Timberwolves -- once again missing Anthony Edwards with a knee issue -- never looked like surrendering that advantage and led by as many as 31 points midway through the fourth quarter as they closed out a comfortable victory.

Ayo Dosunmu led the Minnesota scoring with 24 points from 10-of-17 shooting while Julius Randle and Bones Hyland added 19 points apiece.

The Toronto Raptors kept their automatic playoff hopes on track with a 121-95 blowout of the Miami Heat.

Miami had needed a win to keep their slim chances of securing a top-six finish alive in a razor-thin Eastern Conference playoff race.

But Toronto took the lead early in the second quarter and steadily pulled away for a victory which leaves them occupying the sixth and final direct entry playoff place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Scottie Barnes scored 25 points and Brandon Ingram 23 to guide Toronto to the win. The Raptors are now 44-35 with three games of the regular season remaining, one game ahead of the seventh-placed Philadelphia 76ers.

Miami's loss locked them into the East's four-team play-in tournament next week which will determine the final two teams who advance to the playoffs.

The Boston Celtics closed in on securing the No.2 seed in the Eastern Conference after holding off the in-form Charlotte Hornets 113-102 at the TD Garden in Boston.

Back in the Western Conference, the injury-hit Los Angeles Lakers drifted further out of contention for the number three seed after suffering a 123-87 pummeling to the Oklahoma City Thunder at home.

The Lakers, whose hopes of mounting a postseason charge have been left in tatters after injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, rested LeBron James as Oklahoma City cruised to a lopsided win.

J.Liv--ThChM