LeBron James won the battle of the two most recent MVPs as the Cleveland Cavaliers got the better of Kevin Durant's Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.
The Cavs recorded their sixth win on the bounce thanks to James's 34 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Durant top-scored for OKC with 32, six and nine.
The Atlanta Hawks' winning streak continued as they won their 16th game in a row with a 112-100 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Mike Budenholzer's men, who have recorded victories in 30 of their last 32 games, were led by front-court duo Al Horford (19 points) and Paul Millsap (20).
Hassan Whiteside was the star of the show as the Miami Heat eased past the Chicago Bulls at United Center.
The center recorded a triple-double that included a Heat record 12 blocks along with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
There was overtime at the Pepsi Center and it was the Washington Wizards that prevailed 117-115 over the Denver Nuggets, who lost their sixth match in a row.
Denver had the chance to win it in normal time, but Kenneth Faried missed two free throws with less than two seconds to go and the score tied at 105-105.
The NBA's best record improved to 36-6 as the Golden State Warriors saw off the Boston Celtics 114-111 for their 19th straight home win.
Klay Thompson, after his record-breaking display on Friday, led all scorers with 31 points and iced the game with two late free throws.
Warriors point-guard Stephen Curry is one of the frontrunners for this year's MVP and he'll face stiff competition from Houston Rockets shooting-guard James Harden, who had a big night at Staples Center.
Harden scored 37 points and added eight rebounds and five assists as the Rockets cruised past the Los Angeles Lakers 99-87.
Anthony Davis hit four late free throws as the New Orleans Pelicans edged out the Dallas Mavericks 109-106 for their third consecutive win.
Davis's late grit saw him finish with 28 points and 10 rebounds as the Pelicans ended a nine-game losing streak against Dallas.
Chris Paul led the Los Angeles Clippers to their fourth win in a row as they defeated the Phoenix Suns 120-100 at US Airways Center.
Paul contributed 23 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists as the Clippers blew past Phoenix in the fourth quarter with a 15-0 run.
Kawhi Leonard's 19 points and 14 rebounds helped the San Antonio Spurs win their fifth game in six since his return from a lengthy injury.
The Spurs trailed by eight at half time against the Milwaukee Bucks, but rallied after the interval to win 101-95.
The Toronto Raptors edged out the Detroit Pistons 114-110 at Air Canada Centre despite a big performance from DJ Augustin.
Stepping in for the injured Brandon Jennings, Pistons reserve point-guard Augustin had 35 points and eight assists, but it wasn't enough for the win.
A big fourth quarter helped the Indiana Pacers end their seven-game losing streak with a 106-99 victory away at the Orlando Magic.
The Pacers trailed by seven going into the final period, but outscored Orlando 31-17 to hand the Magic their fifth straight loss.
Results in full: Miami Heat 96-84 Chicago Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder 98-108 Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers 120-100 Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks 106-109 New Orleans Pelicans, Minnesota Timberwolves 100-112 Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers 106-99 Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks 95-101 San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons 110-114 Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics 111-114 Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards 117-115 Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets 99-87 Los Angeles Lakers
Pascal Lemesre
