The Washington Wizards won their third game in a row and inflicted a second straight loss on the Houston Rockets by coming through 104-103 in a tight game at Toyota Center on Monday night.
Bradley Beal had a season-high 33 points for the Wizards, while James Harden matched his total in defeat for the Rockets.
The Chicago Bulls now have the best winning streak in the NBA after they won their seventh consecutive game by holding on against the Indiana Pacers.
Chicago led for most of the game, but a fourth-quarter drought where they missed 17 straight shots saw Indiana rally back. However, a late three-pointer from Jimmy Butler, who led all scorers with 27 points, helped the Bulls come through.
In the day's late game, the Los Angeles Clippers edged out the Utah Jazz 101-97 in a see-saw match at Staples Center.
Utah were close to ending their 11-game losing streak against the Clippers, but Blake Griffin's 24 points helped the Clippers win their 12th in a row against the Jazz.
One game went to overtime on Monday and it was the Milwaukee Bucks that outlasted the Charlotte Hornets to end a seven-game losing streak against the North Carolina outfit.
The Bucks threw away a 17-point half-time lead, but poured in 21 points in the extra five minutes to seal a 104-94 win at Time Warner Cable Arena and go above .500.
The Orlando Magic ended a 10-game losing streak against fellow Florida side the Miami Heat with a closely-fought 102-101 victory at American Airlines Arena.
It was nip and tuck for much of the game, but the Magic came through at the death as Dwyane Wade missed a chance to win it for the Heat.
At Barclays Center, the Brooklyn Nets won their fourth game in five with a 107-99 triumph over the Sacramento Kings.
Despite shooting at a better percentage in all areas, turnovers cost the Kings, who had the game's two top scorers in Rudy Gay (25) and DeMarcus Cousins (24).
Results in full: Milwaukee Bucks 104-94 Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls 92-90 Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings 99-107 Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic 102-101 Miami Heat, Washington Wizards 104-103 Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz 97-101 Los Angeles Clippers
Pascal Lemesre
