The Golden State Warriors have ensured that they will finish the season as the Pacific Division champions after thrashing the Portland Trail Blazers.
The sides were closely matched in the first half, but the visitors surged ahead after the break, as Stephen Curry added 33 to lead the Western Conference leaders to an emphatic win.
The Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the first half to set up a comfortable win over the Los Angeles Lakers, strengthening their hold on the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Russell Westbrook continued his recent strong shooting form as he added 27, helping the Thunder establish a 15-point lead by half time, leaving the Lakers with too much to do after the break.
The Dallas Mavericks recovered from a slow start to clinch a win over the San Antonio Spurs at the American Airlines Arena.
The NBA champions were 12 points ahead at the end of the first quarter, but Monta Ellis got the Mavericks back into the game before the break, finishing with 38 points.
A late three-pointer from Khris Middleton handed the Milwaukee Bucks a win over the Miami Heat, who struggled to score points in the fourth quarter at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
The Heat were 14 points up going into the fourth quarter, but the visitors added just nine points in the final 12 minutes, while Jerryd Bayless made a number of shots before Middleton added the winning points at the buzzer, ending Milwaukee's six-game losing streak.
The Detroit Pistons picked up their fourth win in five outings with a narrow victory over the Toronto Raptors.
The hosts looked the stronger side from the start as they quickly surged to a 10-point advantage, with Reggie Jackson leading the scoring with 28 points.
DeMar DeRozan did get the visitors back into the game late on, putting Toronto one point ahead with just over five minutes to play, but Detroit added the next five baskets to retake the lead.
The Philadelphia 76ers made it 16 straight defeats away from home as they slipped to a narrow loss to the Sacramento Kings.
The Sixers were ahead at half time, but the Kings fought back, with DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay combining for 54 points, while the visitors failed to score from the field in the final six minutes.
Results in full: Toronto Raptors 104-108 Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat 88-89 Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers 117-127 Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs 94-101 Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers 106-107 Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors 122-108 Portland Trail Blazers
Sian Cowper
