The Philadelphia 76ers upset the Chicago Bulls in the NBA on Wednesday (local time), while the Miami Heat went down to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Led by Andre Iguodala (19 points, nine rebounds and four assists), the 76ers closed the gap on the Eastern Conference-leading Bulls with a 98-82 win.
It marked a fourth straight win for the 76ers, who held off the Bulls despite CJ Watson's game-high 20 points and Derrick Rose's 18.
Meanwhile, LeBron James scored a season-high 40 points but the Miami Heat suffered a 105-97 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks clawed their way back into the contest after falling behind when James scored 24 points in the first quarter to help the Heat to a 40-23 lead.
Brandon Jennings (31 points and eight assists) starred for the Bucks, who outscored the Heat 58-37 in the second half.
Russell Westbrook scored 33 points and Kevin Durant added 23 as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Dallas Mavericks 95-86 in a replay of last season's Western Conference finals.
Coming into the clash on the back of three consecutive wins, the Mavericks were unable to match the Thunder despite Jason Terry's 25 points.
The Orlando Magic ended their losing run of four matches with a 109-103 win against the struggling Washington Wizards.
Dwight Howard and Ryan Anderson both scored 23 points for the victors.
Danny Granger netted 29 of his 36 points in the second half as the Indiana Pacers overcame the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-99, while the Los Angeles Clippers edged the Utah Jazz 107-105.
Tim Duncan (25 points) and Tony Parker (24) led the San Antonio Spurs to a come-from-behind 99-91 win against the Houston Rockets.
The Boston Celtics had no problems disposing of the Toronto Raptors with a 100-64 thrashing, while Deron Williams scored 26 points and had nine assists to lead the New Jersey Nets to a 99-96 win over the Detroit Pistons.
Veteran point guard Steve Nash shot a game-high 30 points and had 10 assists as the Phoenix Suns overcame the New Orleans Hornets 120-103, while the Portland Trail Blazers thrashed the Charlotte Bobcats 112-68.