Celtics bury Raptors in avalanche
The Boston Celtics ran roughshod over the defending champion Toronto Raptors 122-100 Saturday in Orlando.
The Raptors shot bricks and the Celtics built a lead and never looked back.
The Raptors were down 40 at one point in the game.
The victory enabled the Celtics to gain a slim chance of taking the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference from the Raptors and arrange a possible semifinals showdown.
Jaylen Brown had 20 points, Jason Tatum added 18 and Kemba Walker 17 for the Celtics.
Fred VanVleet had 13 for the Raptors who also had 11 apiece from Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam.
Magic, Nets complete Eastern cast
The Eastern Conference playoff cast is now complete.
The Orlando Magic and the Brooklyn Nets clinched the last two slots Friday.
The Magic returned to the post season when the Washington Wizards lost to the New Orleans Pelicans 118-107. On the other hand, Brooklyn qualified by thrashing the Sacramento Kings 119-106.
Others who have qualified for the playoffs in the East are the Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and the Indiana Pacers.
Suns continue to shine bright
The Phoenix Suns are the last remaining undefeated team in the bubble.
They have defeated the Washington Wizards, Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Indiana Pacers.
Notable in their string of victories is the heads-up play of Devin Booker, who scored the game-winning shot against the Los Angeles Clippers.
However, they are, at this point, a long shot to qualify for the playoffs in the West. The Suns are 11th in the standings and are several games behind the eighth place Memphis Grizzlies.
Without taking one shot, Durant earns $1M
Kevin Durant is one happy man.
Durant earned a $1-million bonus when the team made the playoffs Friday against the Sacramento Kings.
He has a clause in his contract that nets him $1 million if his team makes the post season.
Durant has not played a single game this season and has been out since last season when he tore his ACL in the NBA Finals while playing for the Golden State Warriors.
Durant's bonus is on top of his $37.2-million salary this season. (Compiled by Tristan Lozano)