Durant, the national college player of the year at Texas and the second pick in last year's draft, averaged 20.3 points per game.

Durant has been a bright spot in a dismal basketball season in Seattle. The Sonics won only 20 games, and the owner is seeking to move the team to Oklahoma City.

Nets: Not being sold. The New Jersey Nets' owner said the team was not for sale, responding to a report that investors were being assembled to buy the franchise and move it to Newark.

"The team is very simply not for sale, and any stories that suggest or insinuate that we would be interested in listening to those conversations are flat-out false," the owner, Bruce Ratner, said in a statement.

"We are focused on breaking ground on the Barclays Center in Brooklyn later this year and building all of Atlantic Yards, nothing else."

Carlesimo to return. Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo will return next season, the team said, ending speculation that he would be fired after the Sonics won just 20 games in his first year with them.

Rodman arrested. Former NBA star Dennis Rodman was arrested for allegedly hitting a woman at a Los Angeles hotel.

He was arrested Wednesday night after officers answered a report of a domestic dispute, the police said. The woman suffered injuries on her arm, they added.

The 46-year-old former rebounding champion was jailed for investigation of felony domestic violence and freed on $50,000 bail early yesterday.

Wednesday's late game

BOSTON - Paul Pierce had a playoff high of 22 points, and Ray Allen hit three three-pointers in the middle of the third quarter to turn back Atlanta's last charge and give Boston a lead of three games to two in their playoff series.

Kevin Garnett scored 20 points and Allen had 19 to put the Celtics one game away from the second round.

Boston got a huge lift from its bench in the second quarter, when Sam Cassell scored nine points.