The Golden State Warriors extended their club-record winning streak to 16 games with an overtime victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday evening.
Stephen Curry was joint-top scorer with Tyreke Evans on 34 points and came up big in the extra period with two three-pointers to seal the win as the Warriors improved to 21-2 for the season.
While the Warriors continued their fine team form, there was an individual landmark for Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant at Target Center.
The 36-year-old passed Michael Jordan for third on the NBA's all-time scoring list as the Lakers won the third game in a row with a 100-94 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
At American Airlines Arena, the Miami Heat only scored 75 points in an 18-point defeat to the Chicago Bulls.
Without the injured Chris Bosh, the Heat struggled to score and were punished badly in the third quarter when Mike Dunleavy, who hadn't found the basket in the first half, scored 19 points from eight shots.
The Eastern Conference-leading Toronto Raptors came through in overtime against the New York Knicks to improve to 18-6 for the season.
Carmelo Anthony's 34 points and nine rebounds wasn't enough for the struggling Knicks, who remain second-bottom in the East.
The Oklahoma City Thunder won their sixth game in a row and inflicted a fifth straight defeat on the Phoenix Suns with a convincing 112-88 win at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
With their two superstars fit again, the Thunder made light work of the Suns, with Russell Westbrook scoring 28 points and adding eight rebounds and assists while Kevin Durant contributed 23 points and eight rebounds.
The San Antonio Spurs got back to winning ways with a 99-91 victory over the Denver Nuggets that was inspired by the returning Kawhi Leonard's all-around game.
The Finals MVP from earlier this year, who had sat out the previous two games, was one assist shy of a 5x5 with 18 points, eight rebounds, four assists, five steals and a career-high six blocks. Arron Afflalo led all scorers with 31 in defeat for the Nuggets.
Finally, the Washington Wizards made it four wins in a row by coming back from a five-point deficit at the half to beat the Utah Jazz 93-84 at home.
Bradley Beal had 22 points to lead all scorers, while John Wall contributed 16 points and eight assists for the high-flying Wizards.
Results in full: Golden State Warriors 128-122 New Orleans Pelicans, Chicago Bulls 93-75 Miami Heat, Utah Jazz 84-93 Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers 100-94 Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns 88-112 Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto Raptors 95-90 New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs 99-91 Denver Nuggets
Pascal Lemesre
