The Golden State Warriors made it five wins in a row as they picked up their 51st victory of the season by edging past the Detroit Pistons.
Klay Thompson led the scoring with 27 points, but had to knock down a couple of three-pointers late on to protect the Western Conference leaders' advantage.
The Atlanta Hawks were thrashed by the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center to leave them with back-to-back defeats.
The Eastern Conference leaders, who have already clinched a place in the playoffs, trailed by 32 during the fourth quarter before cutting the deficit, but Danilo Gallinari kept Denver in front.
The Portland Trail Blazers held off a late charge from the Houston Rockets to clinch a narrow win, leaving the two sides level for third place in the Western Conference.
LaMarcus Aldridge put the home side in control before Corey Brewer added 17 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to give the Rockets some late hope, but their comeback fell just short.
The Los Angeles Clippers eased to victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder as they cut the gap to fourth in the Western Conference.
Chris Paul and JJ Redick combined for 58 points as the Clippers piled the points on in the first three quarters, ending the Thunder's seven-game home winning streak.
The Chicago Bulls needed overtime to clinch a win over the Philadelphia 76ers after the home side came from behind in regulation.
Ish Smith scored a career-high 23 points to force the additional period for the Sixers, but Aaron Brooks added seven of his season-best 31 in overtime for the visitors.
The Sacramento Kings ended a run of four straight defeats with a late push to beat the Charlotte Hornets.
DeMarcus Cousins made all four of his shots from the field in the fourth quarter, while Rudy Gay and Ben McLemore were also among the points to lead Sacramento to the win.
The Miami Heat made a quick start to set up a win over the Brooklyn Nets, clinching their fourth win of the season against the New York side.
Chris Andersen ensured that last season's beaten finalists surged ahead in the opening quarter, while Dwyane Wade kept adding the points throughout to ensure that the Nets never cut the lead to less than five.
The Phoenix Suns took the lead early on as they wrapped up a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Markieff Morris and Eric Bledsoe both made quick starts as the Suns pulled away early on, while rookie TJ Warren came off the bench to add a career-high 17, ensuring that Minnesota could not launch a comeback.
The Boston Celtics edged ahead in the final minute to clinch a narrow win over the Memphis Grizzlies at TD Garden.
Marcus Smart put the hosts ahead with a three-pointer with 52 seconds remaining, while Avery Bradley added to the lead late on, before Mike Conley missed a last-gasp chance to keep the visitors in contention.
The Milwaukee Bucks needed a strong fourth quarter to set up a narrow win over the Orlando Magic, giving the Bucks their 10th win in their last 12 home games.
Khris Middleton matched his career-high score of 30 for the second time in three games, while Giannis Antetokounmpo made a dunk late on to end Orlando's chances.
Results in full: Sacramento Kings 113-106 Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls 104-95 Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzlies 92-95 Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets 98-104 Miami Heat, Orlando Magic 91-97 Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers 120-108 Oklahoma City Thunder, Atlanta Hawks 102-115 Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves 97-106 Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons 98-105 Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets 100-105 Portland Trail Blazers
Sian Cowper
