LeBron James led the fightback as the Cleveland Cavaliers came from behind to beat the Boston Celtics 122-121 in a thrilling game at TD Garden.
The four-time MVP scored 41 points to help the Cavaliers overturn a 19-point deficit in the fourth quarter, while Kyrie Irving contributed 27 points of his own.
Kobe Bryant endured very different luck at the Staples Center as the Los Angeles Lakers were beaten 93-80 by the San Antonio Spurs.
Tim Duncan starred with 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs, who took full advantage as Bryant made just one of his 14 shots from the field.
The Detroit Pistons needed overtime to edge out the Oklahoma City Thunder, whose paper-thin roster was unable to avoid a 96-89 loss.
Brandon Jennings scored 25 of his 29 points in the second half and overtime to help the Pistons earn their first ever win in Oklahoma City.
A layup with nine seconds remaining from James Harden guided the Houston Rockets to an 88-87 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Harden ended the night with 35 points as the Rockets finished strongly to hand the Sixers their ninth successive loss.
The Denver Nuggets claimed their first victory in six games by beating the Indiana Pacers 108-87 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Seven players reached double figures in points for the Pacers, with Arron Afflalo leading the way with 17 points for the visitors.
Tobias Harris was in top form with 26 points and 10 rebounds as the Orlando Magic recorded a 101-85 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Magic were also boosted by the return of Victor Oladipo, who posted 13 points in 25 minutes in his first appearance since suffering a facial fracture in pre-season.
Paul Millsap and Al Horford each scored 19 points for the Atlanta Hawks in a comfortable 114-103 victory over the Miami Heat.
Miami were without Dwyane Wade due to a hamstring problem, and their defensive problems were clear as eight Atlanta players reached double figures in points.
Carmelo Anthony scored 46 points, but the Utah Jazz enjoyed the better of a dramatic finish at Madison Square Garden to beat the New York Knicks 102-100.
Anthony's three-point effort with 2.3 seconds remaining appeared poised to send the game to overtime, but Trey Burke hit back to beat the buzzer with a jump shot to hand Utah the victory.
The New Orleans Pelicans set a string of franchise records on the way to an emphatic 139-91 triumph over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
New Orleans' point total, 56 made field goals, 66.7% shooting and 48-point margin of victory were all new records for the hosts as they stormed to a fifth win of the season.
The Charlotte Bobcats won for the first time on the road this season as they eased to a 103-95 success over the Phoenix Suns.
Al Jefferson and Gary Neal each had 14 points for the Hornets as the Suns struggled, despite 22 points and a career-high 11 rebounds from Eric Bledsoe.
NBA results in full: Cleveland Cavaliers 122-121 Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets 108-97 Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat 103-114 Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks 85-101 Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz 102-100 New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves 91-139 New Orleans Pelicans, Philadelphia 76ers 87-88 Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons 96-89 Oklahoma City Thunder, Charlotte Hornets 103-95 Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs 93-80 Los Angeles Lakers
Callum Mulvihill
