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Wizards clinch berth to play-in Tournament, defeats Cavs

By José Umaña

The Washington Wizards clinch a berth in the NBA play-in tournament after a 120-105 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Russell Westbrook finishes with a triple-double of 21 points, 12 rebounds and 17 assists in the victory. Davis Bertans scored 17 points.

Two teams out of a field of four will play for the final two playoff spots in each conference.  Washington currently sits in 10th place in the Eastern Conference but can go up as high as 8th. Their opponent is still yet to be determined.

The Wizards play their regular-season finale Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets at 1 p.m.

Kevin Durant sheds light on how changing high schools influenced free-agent decisions

By Kevin Brown
Durant sheds light on how changing high schools influenced FA decisions originally appeared on NBC Sports WashingtonKevin Durant has taken more flack for his free-agency decisions than most NBA superstars, particularly after leaving the Thunder after nine seasons for the 73-win Warriors in 2016. But in a recent sit-down with his former Golden State teammate on Draymond Green's Bleacher Report show "Chips," revealing some new details of their infamous spat wasn't the only thing Durant shed light on. Durant also explained how his history of going to three high schools around the DMV may have influenced his propensity to make decisions in his best interest during free agency. Durant spent two years at National Christian (Fort Washington, Md.), one year away at national powerhouse Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) and then back home for his senior year at Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.)"Back then I didn't know it was any different," Durant told Green. "I was listening to Coach (Taras) Brown, my mom, my pops. Like, this was where the best competition was so I would switch schools every year to move up a level." Durant was always tall from a young age and used that size and skill to stand out enough to commit to Texas the summer heading into his junior season. Moving almost six hours away from home to get the exposure, resources and a quality schedule, Oak Hill (a school that has produced the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo, Stephen Jackson, and fellow DMV native TJ Lawson) played. Wanting to be back home before moving out to what was a "perfect fit" in Texas and growing another five inches to reach 6-foot-7 as a senior, Durant always made sure to do what was in his best interest. "I feel as though where I was in high school, my game was growing so fast I needed to be in a different environment so see how far I can go," Durant said.Durant challenging himself to be in different environments has taken him to become one of the best players of all time and possibly the most unstoppable scorer the game has ever seen. Groomed by the DMV and Prince George's County, Durant has changed environments in the NBA to win it all with the superteam Warriors before heading up to Washington's Eastern Conference foe in Brooklyn to build his own superteam. 
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