The Detroit Pistons' turnaround since releasing Josh Smith continued last night as they won their ninth game in 10 with a 114-111 victory over the high-flying Toronto Raptors.
Stan Van Gundy's men were down by 12 at half time, but fought back in the second half thanks to Brandon Jennings's 34 points and 10 assists. Jonas Valanciunas made 14 of his 15 attempts for a career-high 31 points, but it wasn't enough for Toronto.
With the Raptors losing, the Chicago Bulls had the chance to move up to second in the East, but they were surprisingly beaten 121-114 by the Orlando Magic, who had lost six in a row going into last night's game.
Victor Oladipo and Nikola Vucevic both scored 33 points for the Magic, while Pau Gasol had 28 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulls.
The Houston Rockets won their fourth game in a row with a 113-99 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in a sour contest at Barclays Center.
Early on Kevin Garnett was ejected for headbutting Dwight Howard before James Harden top-scored with 30 points to lead the Rockets to victory. Mason Plumlee had a career-high 24 points for the Nets, who lost their sixth straight game.
At TD Garden, the Boston Celtics surged past the New Orleans Pelicans 108-100 thanks to a big fourth-quarter rally.
Jared Sullinger had 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, while Anthony Davis led all scorers with 34 in defeat for New Orleans.
Results in full: New Orleans Pelicans 100-108 Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets 113-99 Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons 114-111 Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic 121-114 Chicago Bulls
Pascal Lemesre
