The Golden State Warriors cruised to a comfortable win over the Toronto Raptors in a clash between the Western Conference and Eastern Conference leaders in the NBA.
The home side always looked in control as Stephen Curry, who finished with 32, led them to a big early lead, while Draymond Green recorded his first career triple-double.
The win gave the Warriors their 26th victory of the season, and cost the Raptors first place in the East.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have snapped a three-game losing streak with victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
With LeBron James still missing through injury, Kyle Love and Kyrie Irving led the team, scoring 50 points between them to make sure of the win.
The Oklahoma City Thunder came from behind to clinch a win over the Washington Wizards, giving them their 10th home win of the season.
Kevin Durant, playing in his second game since returning from an ankle sprain, led the scoring, adding 34 in a 32-minute stint for the Thunder.
The Indiana Pacers continued their resurgence with their fifth win in seven games as they edged past the Milwaukee Bucks.
The visitors needed a strong second-half shooting performance to clinch the win, but CJ Miles led the scoring after coming off the bench with 22 to make sure of the victory.
Rajon Rondo scored a season-high 29 to lead the Dallas Mavericks to victory over the Boston Celtics just weeks after exiting the Celts in a trade.
The guard hit his stride early on, leading the visitors to a 13-point lead by half time, while keeping the points coming after the break.
The New Orleans Pelicans put in a dominant performance to wrap up a big win over the Houston Rockets.
The home side were up by 17 at half time, forcing the Rockets to make changes at the start of the third quarter, leaving Ryan Anderson and Tyreke Evans to extend their lead as high as 32 before Houston clawed a few points back late on.
The Brooklyn Nets survived a strong finish from the Orlando Magic to move to a 16-16 record this season.
The visitors appeared to be heading for an emphatic victory, leading by 25 points heading into the fourth quarter after a run of points from Mason Plumlee before Elfrid Payton cut the advantage to two points, but the comeback fell just short.
The New York Knicks slipped to their 10th straight defeat as they were thrashed by the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks started well, but crumbled before the break as Jodie Meeks, Greg Monroe and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope all shared the shooting duties to open up a commanding lead for Detroit.
Kobe Bryant missed a chance to tie the scores late on as the Los Angeles Lakers slipped to a defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies.
The shooting guard hit the rim with a three-point attempt inside the final second, allowing the Grizzlies to come away with the win.
The Atlanta Hawks made it three wins in a row as they held off a late run from the Utah Jazz, moving them to their top of the Eastern Conference.
Jeff Teague helped the team open up an early lead, which they maintained throughout, although they did come under pressure when Gordon Hayward led a 12-1 run in the fourth quarter.
The Phoenix Suns needed a strong fourth quarter to make sure of a win over the Philadelphia 76ers, who have the worst record in the league.
Markieff Morris and Gerald Green both finished the game with 21 points, with the latter adding a string of points late on to end any hope of a Sixers comeback.
Results in full: Cleveland Cavaliers 91-87 Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets 100-98 Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks 119-101 Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons 97-81 New York Knicks, Houston Rockets 83-111 New Orleans Pelicans, Washington Wizards 102-109 Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana Pacers 94-91 Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers 96-112 Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks 98-92 Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors 105-126 Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies 109-106 Los Angeles Lakers
Sian Cowper
