The Golden State Warriors picked up their 45th win of the NBA season as they thrashed the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre.
A day after the Western Conference leaders were beaten by the Cavaliers, the side with the best record in the league came out fighting, surging to a 26-point advantage in the first half after an early onslaught from Klay Thompson, before Stephen Curry kept the points coming after the break.
After throwing away an early lead, the Atlanta Hawks recovered to extend their advantage at the top of the Eastern Conference with a win over the Orlando Magic.
The Hawks were 19-3 up just three minutes into the contest following an early charge by Paul Millsap, but Victor Oladipo got the visitors back into it before Jeff Teague and Al Horford opened up a gap again late on.
The Indiana Pacers continued their recent strong form with a victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, giving them a seventh win in nine games.
The visitors were missing Kyrie Irving and LeBron James, allowing the Pacers to wipe out an early nine-point deficit to take the lead before the break, with George Hill leading the scoring.
The Houston Rockets came from behind to secure a narrow win over the Brooklyn Nets, handing them their 40th win of the campaign.
After falling 11 points behind early on, the Rockets needed a season-high 26 from Terrence Jones to get them back into the game, before James Harden put them ahead inside the final minute.
The San Antonio Spurs ended their four-game losing streak with a win over the Sacramento Kings, who were without a couple of their starters through injury.
The game was close throughout the first three quarters, but Tony Parker led a decisive run in the final 12 minutes to make sure of the victory for the current champions.
The Portland Trail Blazers recovered from a first-half slump to take a narrow win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Russell Westbrook led the Thunder to a 12-point lead at the break, but LaMarcus Aldridge helped the hosts turn it around in the fourth quarter, before Arron Afflalo made a three-pointer late on to put Portland ahead.
The Los Angeles Clippers needed a second-half push to wrap up a win over the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum.
The sides were level at half time, but Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan each added 19 points to ensure that the visitors surged ahead in the second half.
Despite missing several players through illness and injury, the Chicago Bulls managed to secure a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After Taj Gibson was forced out in the first quarter, Jimmy Butler stepped up, adding 28 points and 12 rebounds to ensure that the Bulls picked up their seventh win in nine outings.
The New Orleans Pelicans dominated the fourth quarter to pick up a narrow win over the Miami Heat, extending their winning run to four games.
The Heat looked comfortably ahead going into the final spell, but Alexis Ajinca finished with a career-high 24, including two baskets in the final minute to seal the victory.
The Boston Celtics overcame a 16-point deficit to clinch a win over the Charlotte Hornets to give the home side three straight victories.
After falling behind in the first half, the Celtics came out fighting in the third quarter, with Isaiah Thomas adding 21 of his 28 points after the break before putting Boston ahead with just over five minutes to play.
The Los Angeles Lakers hit their stride in the fourth quarter to secure a win over the Milwaukee Bucks, giving the strugglers a third straight win.
Wayne Ellington recovered from missing his first six shots of the game to score all 14 of his points in the final quarter as the Lakers outscored the Bucks 36-21 in the last 12 minutes.
The New York Knicks needed double overtime to secure just their 11th win of the season in their clash with the Detroit Pistons.
The Pistons had been five points up in the final minute of regulation after holding an 18-point advantage in the first half, but Langston Galloway levelled the scores to force overtime.
Shane Larkin finally broke the deadlock in the second extra spell with a three-pointer, and the Knicks were able to defend their lead to end an eight-game losing streak.
The Denver Nuggets' struggles continued as they slipped to a ninth home defeat in a row, being thrashed by the Utah Jazz at the Pepsi Center.
The visitors looked the stronger from the start as they cruised to a 16-point lead by half time, with Derrick Favors and Trey Burke adding 40 between them.
The Philadelphia 76ers ended their five-game losing streak with a narrow victory over the Washington Wizards at the Wells Fargo Center.
The meeting was close throughout, but Nerlens Noel found the basket late on to keep the home side ahead, finishing the game with 14.
Results in full: Cleveland Cavaliers 86-96 Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards 81-89 Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets 98-106 Boston Celtics, New York Knicks 121-115 Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors 113-89 Toronto Raptors, Minnesota Timberwolves 89-96 Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets 98-102 Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers 97-79 Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat 102-104 New Orleans Pelicans, Utah Jazz 104-82 Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs 107-96 Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Bucks 93-101 Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder 112-115 Portland Trail Blazers
Sian Cowper
