Suns downed by Rockets on Durant's Phoenix return

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 its faint hopes of bagging an automatic playoff spot in the Western Conference alive.

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

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 its 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 its 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 that leaves it occupying the sixth and final direct entry playoff place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Scottie Barnes scored 25 points and Brandon Ingram got 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 it 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 No 3 seed after suffering a 123-87 pummeling to the Oklahoma City Thunder at home.

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

Stephen Curry scored 17 points with a pair of four-point plays in his second game back from a right knee injury, and the Golden State Warriors held off the Sacramento Kings 110-105 on Tuesday night to snap a four-game losing streak.

Curry, who missed 27 games before returning Sunday, tied the game at 104 on a three-pointer with 2:38 remaining, then dished to Brandin Podziemski for a go-ahead three on the next possession.

Kings' 7-foot-1 rookie Maxime Raynaud had 17 points and eight rebounds playing on his 23rd birthday. Killian Hayes scored 18 points off the bench as Sacramento lost for the sixth time in eight games.

De'Anthony Melton had 21 points and Podziemski scored 20 for Golden State.

In Sunday's 117-116 loss to Houston, Curry dazzled down the stretch to score 29 points on 11-for-21 shooting in 26 minutes in his first action since Jan 30 against Detroit.

The Warriors are all but locked into the No 10 seed in the Western Conference for the play-in tournament next week.