UNDATED (AP) — Kevin Durant had 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, leading the Brooklyn Nets back from 21 points down to a 110-98 victory over the New York Knicks that strengthened their chances of the best spot possible in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
After watching the Nets come back from 28 down when he was hurt in their last visit to Madison Square Garden, Durant scored 23 points in the second half to fuel this comeback that pulled Brooklyn within a game of Cleveland for seventh place in the East.
The Nets host the Cavaliers on Friday night.
In other NBA action:
— Norman Powell scored 24 points after being out two months, Paul George added 19 points in three quarters to go over 15,000 in his career, and the Los Angeles Clippers edged the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns 113-109. The Suns were missing four starters, but still nearly won the game. Their reserves scored 48 points in the fourth after trailing by 39 in the third. Ish Wainwright scored a career-high 20 points to lead the Suns. Powell and George were playing together for the first time after both sat out long stretches with injuries.
— Jaylen Brown scored 25 points, Al Horford added 17 on 7-of-7 shooting and the Boston Celtics routed the Chicago Bulls 117-94 on Wednesday night for their 50th victory. The Celtics have won three in a row and are 27-6 since Jan. 22. They can wrap up the second spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs Thursday night with a victory at Milwaukee. Jayson Tatum scored 16 points for Boston. He was 5 of 18 from the field, making only one of eight from 3-point range. The Bulls have lost two straight. They claimed a playoff berth Tuesday.
— Luka Doncic had 26 points, 14 assists and eight rebounds to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 131-113 win over the Detroit Pistons. The Mavericks are 20 games above .500 for the first time since 2011 when they went on to win the NBA title. They’re set up to earn home-court advantage in the playoffs for the first time since coach Jason Kidd was their point guard during the championship season. Dallas reached the 50-win mark for the first time in seven years, and just the second time since winning their only NBA title. Cade Cunningham had 25 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for the Pistons.
— Trae Young scored 16 of his 30 points in the third period to help Atlanta stretch its lead, and the Hawks beat the Washington Wizards 118-103. Kristaps Porzingis led Washington with 26 points and 18 rebounds. The Hawks remain ninth in the Eastern Conference, thanks to Brooklyn’s tiebreaker edge for eighth. Atlanta is bound for the play-in tournament with two games remaining in the regular season. Danilo Gallinari had 26 points and 10 rebounds for Atlanta. Young had 11 assists. Atlanta led 76-70 with about six minutes remaining in the third quarter. Young scored 16 of Atlanta’s final 18 points in the period.
— Bojan Bogdanovic scored 27 points, Rudy Gobert added 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Utah Jazz beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 137-101 on Wednesday night. Jordan Clarkson had 18 points and a season-high 10 assists, and Hassan Whiteside added 15 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks to help the Jazz win their fifth straight home game. Jaylen Hoard scored 23 points for Oklahoma City. Isaiah Roby and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl each added 18 points.
