The Indiana Pacers' struggles continued as they were beaten for the third straight game, losing to the Houston Rockets.
The Eastern Conference leaders were just seven points down at the break, but James Harden inspired a Rockets rout in the third quarter as they outscored the Pacers 38-16 to open up a commending lead to carry them to their fourth win in a row.
The Dallas Mavericks recovered from losing a 30-point lead to clinch a narrow win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The home side surged ahead early on following a 33-10 first quarter, but LaMarcus Aldridge got the Blazers back into contention, adding 18 of his 30 points in the third quarter.
However, Dirk Nowitzki kept the points coming for the Mavericks, before Devin Harris put Dallas back in front inside the final minute.
The Memphis Grizzlies restricted the Chicago Bulls in the final quarter of their game at the United Center to seal a win.
Both teams were defensive throughout the meeting, but Marc Gasol was able to hold off Joakim Noah late on, allowing the visitors to open up their lead.
The Boston Celtics made a quick start against the Brooklyn Nets to claim a win over their Atlantic Division rivals.
Rajon Rondo led the home side to a 12-point lead before half time, and were able to hold on for the win despite giving away 28 turnovers.
The New York Knicks boosted their chances of a late push for the playoffs following an easy win over the Utah Jazz.
The hosts raced ahead in the first quarter and never looked back, as Carmelo Anthony scored 18 of his 29 points in the first 12 minutes, helping the Knicks to back-to-back wins.
The Denver Nuggets came out on top in a high-scoring game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kenneth Faried scored a career-high 32 points, while Ty Lawson chipped in with 30 to give the Nuggets their third win of the season against the Lakers.
The Charlotte Bobcats finished strongly to make sure of a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The home side had led since the end of the first quarter, but Cleveland had chipped away at their advantage, before Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker led a fourth-quarter run, leading the Bobcats to their sixth home win in a row.
The Golden State Warriors eased past the Atlanta Hawks for their third straight win.
The Warriors, who have lost just twice in their 10 games since the All-Star break last month, had five players in double figures, including David Lee who was the team's top scorer with 18.
The Toronto Raptors took a comfortable win over the Sacramento Kings in Rudy Gay's return to his former team.
The small forward was traded to the Kings earlier this season, and scored 15 as he played at the Air Canada Center for the first time since leaving the Raptors, but the home side split the shooting duties to ensure that the visitors never looked like making a comeback.
Anthony Davis continued his good run of form with the New Orleans Pelicans, leading them team to a win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
The second-year forward scored 29 points, while Tyreke Evans contributed 25 to give New Orleans back-to-back wins.
A dominant fourth-quarter display from the Detroit Pistons came too late in their defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The home side had an 18-point lead by the end of the first quarter, and increased their advantage to 31 during the third, before a late Pistons rally cut the winning margin to 13.
Results in full: Memphis Grizzlies 85-77 Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers 92-101 Charlotte Bobcats, Sacramento Kings 87-99 Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets 84-91 Boston Celtics, Utah Jazz 81-108 New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons 101-114 Minnesota Timberwolves, Milwaukee Bucks 104-112 New Orleans Pelicans, Portland Trail Blazers 98-103 Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers 126-134 Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers 86-112 Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks 97-111 Golden State Warriors
Sian Cowper
