The Cleveland Cavaliers slipped to their fourth straight loss as they were well beaten by the Toronto Raptors, who currently lead the Eastern Conference.
It looked as though the hosts were heading for a big win early on as they cruised into an 18-point lead, but Lou Williams scored a career-high 36 points to get the Raptors back into the game at the break and they pulled away in the second half.
The Miami Heat needed a strong fourth-quarter performance to clinch a narrow win over the Orlando Magic, giving them just their sixth win of the season.
The home side were just a point back heading into the final 12 minutes, but Chris Bosh and Mario Chalmers found their form late on to keep the Heat ahead.
The Brooklyn Nets slipped to their sixth loss in their last seven games as they were beaten by NBA champions, the San Antonio Spurs.
The hosts never trailed as Tony Parker led them to a seven-point lead by the end of the first quarter, while Tim Duncan continued to create chances.
The Philadelphia 76ers' search for their first win of the season continues after they slipped to a defeat to the New York Knicks.
Carmelo Anthony ensured that the home side pulled away in the opening quarter as the Knicks put back-to-back defeats behind them to move to 4-10.
The Dallas Mavericks' six-game winning run came to an end as James Harden led the Houston Rockets to victory at the Toyota Center.
The Rockets headed into the game following defeats in their last two outings, but Harden scored 32, including five in the final moments to prevent any hopes of a Dallas comeback.
Anthony Davis scored a career-high 43 as the New Orleans Pelicans cruised to a win over the Utah Jazz.
The forward looked sharp from the start as he led the away side to a 19-point lead midway through the third, before rallying again late on to prevent a Jazz comeback.
The Phoenix Suns continued their strong form away from home with a comfortable win over the Indiana Pacers.
Markieff Morris got the visitors off to a strong start before Gerald Green came off the bench, adding 23 points to take the game away from the hosts.
The Washington Wizards came from behind at the break for a win over the Milwaukee Bucks, giving them back-to-back victories.
The visitors trailed by 15 points in the first half, but Paul Pierce and John Wall led the fightback to make sure of the win for the Wizards.
The Sacramento Kings had to dominate the second half to come away with a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The sides were closely matched early on, with the home team leading by just four at the break, but DeMarcus Cousins got the Kings back on level terms early in the second half before they powered ahead.
Results in full: Phoenix Suns 106-93 Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat 99-92 Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors 110-93 Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers 83-91 New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks 92-95 Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings 113-101 Minnesota Timberwolves, Washington Wizards 111-100 Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets 87-99 San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Pelicans 106-94 Utah Jazz
Sian Cowper
