Rockets comeback sinks Phoenix on Durant return
Kevin Durant helped the Houston Rockets to a come-from-behind defeat of his former club Phoenix in the Western Conference (Christian Petersen) Kevin Durant scored 24 points against his former team to help inspire the Houston Rockets to a come-from-behind 119-105 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. 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.