Three of Monday's seven NBA games went into overtime on a dramatic night of basketball action.
In the day's final game, Los Angeles Clippers' forward Blake Griffin hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to clinch a 121-120 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
It took Griffin's total on the night to 45, just two shy of his career high, while Eric Bledsoe delivered his first ever triple double (27 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high 16 assists) in a defeat for the Suns as the Clippers won their eighth game in a row.
The Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics played each other for the second night in a row and it was a classic at Verizon Center as the Wizards edged a double-overtime battle 133-132.
Washington led by as many as 23 in normal time before a late Boston rally saw them force the extra period. Both sides scored 11 in the first five minutes before Boston appeared to be on their way to victory by opening up a seven-point lead in the second overtime.
Wizards point-guard John Wall took over, though, scoring 10 straight points to win it for the Wizards. Wall also had a career-high 17 assists, while Celtics' rookie guard Marcus Smart scored a career-high 23 points.
The Eastern Conference-leading Toronto Raptors returned to winning ways with a 112-107 overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets.
In a topsy-turvy game at Air Canada Centre, the Raptors opened up a 10-point lead at the half but then trailed by five with three minutes to go. Patrick Patterson's late three sent the game to an extra period and it was Toronto who pulled through.
At Barclays Center there was plenty of interest in the audience as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met LeBron James prior to the Cleveland Cavaliers' match against the Brooklyn Nets and then sat courtside to watch as well as meeting Jay-Z and Beyonce, who were also present for the game.
On the court, the Cavs cruised to a 110-88 win, with James posting 18 points and seven assists, while Dion Waiters had a game-high 26 points off the bench for Cleveland, who won their seventh game in a row.
Another team in the East with seven wins on the trot are the Atlanta Hawks after they dominated the Indiana Pacers on the road.
Al Horford's 25 points and eight rebounds led the way for Atlanta as they coasted to a 108-92 triumph. Indiana have lost five in a row.
The NBA's best winning streak remains with the high-flying Golden State Warriors after they picked up an expected win on the road at the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves, their 13th in a row.
The Warriors' back-court of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson both finished with 21 points, while Minnesota rookie Andrew Wiggins also had the same total as the hosts lost their sixth game in a row.
While the Warriors are flying, the Utah Jazz are reeling following their ninth defeat in a row at the Sacramento Kings.
Rudy Gay scored 26 points as the Kings pulled away in the fourth quarter after heading into the final period level at 68-68.
Results in full: Atlanta Hawks 108-92 Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics 132-133 Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers 110-88 Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets 107-112 Toronto Raptors, Golden State Warriors 102-86 Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz 92-101 Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns 120-121 Los Angeles Clippers
Pascal Lemesre
