The Miami Heat needed overtime to beat the Atlanta Hawks 121-119 at the AmericanAirlines Arena on Monday night.
Atlanta were leading by seven with 90 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter but Ray Allen made three free throws in the closing stages to force an extra period and it was Michael Beasley's two free shots which eventually secured the victory for the defending champions.
Lance Stephenson scored a career-high 26 points as the Indiana Pacers eased to a 103-86 success over the Brooklyn Nets.
A triple-double from Stephenson and 26 points from Paul George cruised past the Nets, who struggled to compete after Paul Pierce was ejected from the game due to a flagrant foul on George Hill.
Tony Parker recorded 26 points and eight assists in a 112-99 victory over the Toronto Raptors at the AT&T Center.
The Raptors kept pace with the Spurs for most of the game but the hosts pulled away in the final quarter to record their 10th home win of the season.
Kemba Walker posted 25 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in a tense 111-110 win in overtime against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks led by 18 at one stage but they wasted the advantage and were dealt a further blow when a possible game-winning three-point effort from Khris Middleton in overtime only produced two points as the officials decided the forward's foot was on the line.
Josh Smith scored 25 points and Brandon Jennings added 21 as the Detroit Pistons recorded a seventh win in eight away games with a dominant display against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Pistons took the lead midway through the first quarter and they never looked back on their way to a 115-92 victory.
A 25-point lead for the New York Knicks was reduced to one in the fourth quarter but Mike Woodson's side held on for a 103-98 win over the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center.
Despite the victory, the Knicks were dealt a blow when Carmelo Anthony was forced off the court in the third quarter with a sprained ankle.
Dwight Howard recorded 29 points and 15 rebounds at the Toyota Center but he couldn't prevent the Houston Rockets from losing 111-104 to the Dallas Mavericks.
Dirk Nowitzki moved up to 13th on the NBA's all-time scoring list with 31 points as the Mavericks took full advantage of a Rockets team missing James Harden.
The Utah Jazz lost for the 23rd time this season as Zach Randolph inspired the Memphis Grizzlies to a 104-94 win at the FedExForum.
Randolph recorded 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, while Jerryd Bayless also impressed with 17 points in the second half.
David Lee's ninth straight double-double helped the Golden State Warriors pick up an 89-81 triumph over the Denver Nuggets.
The Warriors outscored the Nuggets 25-15 in the final quarter of the game, with Andre Iguodala hitting a crucial three-point shot late on against his former team.
Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee combined for 39 points in a convincing 117-90 victory for the Phoenix Suns over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Plumlee added a career-high 20 rebounds to his impressive statistics as the Lakers once again struggled without Kobe Bryant.
Tyreke Evans returned to Sacramento with an impressive display to lead his new side, the New Orleans Pelicans, to a 113-100 success from their meeting with the Kings.
The former NBA Rookie of the Year also provided 12 assists as the Pelicans ended a run of four defeats in a row by claiming their fifth away win of the season.
Callum Mulvihill
