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• Harden leads 76ers' late run as Mavs suffer playoffs blow, Durant returns and Kings end 17-year drought

  The Dallas Mavericks' playoff hopes suffered another setback after James Harden inspired the Philadelphia 76ers' fourth-quarter charge on Wednesday.

  The Mavs, who had lost seven of their previous 10 games coming into the contest, led 91-89 at three-quarter time at Wells Fargo Center before the home side rallied to triumph 116-108, clinching their 50th win of the season.

  Harden provided the assists for all of Philadelphia's points during a 10-0 run that flipped the contest, condemning the Mavs to a 37-40 record and leaving them in danger of missing the playoffs and play-in tournament in the Western Conference. Dallas failed to score in the final 3:18 of the game.

  Joel Embiid returned from a one-game, calf-injury-enforced absence to boost his MVP aspirations with 25 points and nine rebounds, while Harden had 15 points and 12 assists.

  Harden's partnership with Embiid was on full show, with the pair holding the NBA's best single-season record over the past 25 years for assists by one player to another, averaging 4.8 per game, ahead of Sacramento Kings duo Rajon Rondo and DeMarcus Cousins (4.0 in the 2015-16 season).

  For the Mavs, Luka Doncic had 24 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, while Kyrie Irving added 23 points.

  Philadelphia's 50th win from their 76th game of the campaign marks the fewest amount of games required to reach that mark in franchise history since 2001.

  The 50-26 76ers are third in the East, behind the Milwaukee Bucks (55-21) and the Boston Celtics (52-24).

  The Bucks routed the Indiana Pacers 149-136 led by Jrue Holiday's career-high 51 points and a Giannis Antetokounmpo triple-double.

  Kings end NBA's longest playoff drought

  Sacramento ended their 17-year playoffs wait, the longest drought in NBA history, thanks to a 120-80 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

  The Kings pulled away with a lopsided 70-34 second half, led by Domantas Sabonis (15 points and 12 rebounds) and De'Aaron Fox (18 points and six assists), while Keegan Murray passed Donovan Mitchell for the most threes made by a rookie (188) in his 13 points.

  Sacramento clinching their playoff spot came amid a chaotic night in the West, with Jalen Williams' buzzer-beating tip-in earning the 10th-placed Oklahoma City Thunder a 107-106 win over the Detroit Pistons. OKC occupy the final play-in spot.

  Russell Westbrook scored 36 points as the fifth-placed Los Angeles Clippers ended the second-placed Memphis Grizzlies' seven-game winning streak with a 141-132 victory, while the taunts continued as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Chicago Bulls 121-110.

  Durant returns as Suns firm up fourth seed

  Kevin Durant made his long-awaited home debut as he returned from a 10-game absence due to a sprained ankle, but he was rusty as the Phoenix Suns overcame the Minnesota Timberwolves 107-100.

  Durant shot five-of-18 from the field for 16 points with eight rebounds and four assists. Devin Booker top-scored for the Suns with 29 points on eight-of-18 shooting from the field.

  The 2014 MVP Durant shot two-of-four from three-point range, both in the fourth quarter, holding off the Timberwolves who drew level in the final period, with the win helping the Suns improve to 41-35 to sit fourth in the West.

• Lamar Jackson snaps back at social media cynics on injury doubts amid trade saga

  Wantaway Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson snapped back at social media critics claiming he missed last season's playoffs due to wanting a trade.

  Jackson announced earlier this week on social media that he had requested a trade on March 2 following a drawn-out contract stand-off, where Baltimore placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on him earlier this month.

  The two parties endured a similar stand-off last offseason before the QB played out the final year of his rookie contract, only to miss the Ravens' final six games of the season with a sprained left knee.

  The issue had initially been expected to sideline him for only two to three weeks, with Jackson missing the Ravens' postseason 24-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

  Jackson quipped back at suggestions on social media that that absence was due to him sitting out having not agreed on a long-term deal with the Ravens.

  "Let's get real. I rather have a 100% PCL than go out there and play horrible forcing myself to put my guys in a bad situation now that's selfish to me," Jackson tweeted on Tuesday.

  "I don't remember me sitting out on my guys week 1 vs jets To week 12 vs Broncos. How come all of a sudden I sit out because of money in which I could've got hurt at anytime within that time frame when we know the Super Bowl been on my mind since April 2018."

  The 26-year-old QB also explained in a reply to a fan why he did not travel with the Ravens for their AFC Wild Card game in Cincinnati.

  "After I traveled to the Pittsburgh game, my PCL got inflated so a few of us discussed it and I got the OK to stay so I could try [to] recover faster," Jackson tweeted.

  Jackson's revelation of a trade request came amid the NFL's annual league meeting. The Indianapolis Colts are the only team to declare any intention to consider Jackson who represents himself in negotiations.

• Randle to be evaluated after exiting Knicks win with ankle sprain

  Julius Randle will undergo evaluation on Thursday after exiting the New York Knicks' 101-92 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday with a left ankle sprain.

  Randle was hurt after his left leg landed on Heat center Bam Adebayo's left foot as he pulled down a rebound with 2:40 remaining in the second quarter.

  The Knicks forward was helped up and initially stayed in the game but was visibly incapable of playing on and ruled out at half-time.

  "It'll be evaluated tomorrow," Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters. "It's a sprain, that's about the extent of it. We'll see where he is tomorrow."

  Thibodeau was unable to clarify the extent of the injury when asked if trainers thought it was a high ankle sprain.

  Randle will be a key part of the Knicks' upcoming playoffs campaign, averaging 25.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists this season. The All-Star produced a career-best 57 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves last week.

  The Knicks are in the five seed slot in the Eastern Conference with a 44-33 record, with the playoffs due to starton April 15.

  "It's all part of it, injuries happen," Thibodeau said. "When you have a guy who's averaging 24/10/4, we're not going to replace him with one player.

  "What we can do is work hard as a unit to come together and work to replace him."

  Randle is a two-time All-Star, who won the NBA's Most Improved Player in 2021.