The Houston Rockets slumped to their 20th straight loss in a 114-112 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Houston gave up an 11-point deficit in the opening quarter but managed to explode for 40 points in the second to bring the gap back to just four.
Things remained neck-and-neck throughout most of the second half, but a late scoring spree and game-saving block by Luguentz Dort ultimately proved the difference.
LU D 👏 pic.twitter.com/EMsZC9YLmd — OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 21, 2021
Dort finished with 23 points, while Houston's Christian Wood had 27 and eight rebounds in the losing effort.
Chris Paul became the sixth player in NBA history to register 10,000 assists as he led the Phoenix Suns to a 111-94 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 17-point win also marked Paul's first triple-double in a Suns uniform, posting 11 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists.
Meanwhile, the Lakers sorely missed the presence of LeBron James, who is facing a lengthy stint on the sidelines after injuring his ankle in a defeat against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
Make that 15-straight against @nyknicks. 👏 pic.twitter.com/FlgF1jpevQ — Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 22, 2021
The Philadelphia 76ers edged past the Knicks with a thrilling 101-100 overtime win in New York.
Julius Randle had mixed fortunes for the Knicks – draining a late three to force overtime before missing a potential game-winner at the buzzer.
Shake Milton led the way for the Sixers with 21 points.
The result also went down to the wire in Miami, where the Heat fell to the Indiana Pacers 109-106.
Five Indiana players finished with double figures as the Pacers completed a two-game sweep over last year's finalists.
Great to see @blakegriffin23 out there tonight 📸 pic.twitter.com/REVOePb2Sc — Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 22, 2021
Blake Griffin had a successful debut for the Nets, contributing to Brooklyn's 113-106 win over the Washington Wizards with his first dunk since 2019.
Kyrie Irving and James Harden combined for 54 points, while Russell Westbrook top-scored with 29.
In the rest of the day's action, Luka Doncic dropped 37 in the Dallas Mavericks' 40-point demolition of the Portland Trail Blazers, the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Denver Nuggets 113-108 and Jaylen Brown scored 10 threes to lead the Boston Celtics to victory over the Orlando Magic.
There was also a 116-105 win for the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Toronto Raptors, and the Chicago Bulls cruised past the Detroit Pistons 100-86.
