Carmelo Anthony posted 34 points as the New York Knicks preserved their unbeaten home record with a 106-99 win over the Phoenix Suns.
Anthony reached the 30-point mark for the fifth time this season as the Knicks improved to 7-0 at home on Sunday and closed to within half a game of Eastern Conference leaders Miami Heat.
Raymond Felton hit 23 points and seven assists while centre Tyson Chandler chipped in with a double-double (15 points and 13 rebounds) to help the Knicks to their third successive win.
Marcin Gortat was the Suns' leading point-getter with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Shannon Brown notched 17 points for the visitors.
Despite Rasheed Wallace's early first-quarter ejection for his second technical foul, the Knicks went into the second period with a 24-20 lead before outscoring their opponents by 13 points for a 59-42 buffer at the main break.
Phoenix rallied in the third and even outscored New York by 10 points in the final quarter but the Knicks had already done enough to move a full game clear of rivals Brooklyn Nets in the Atlantic division.
Also on Sunday, a stunning 40-point final quarter lifted the Orlando Magic to a surprise 113-103 triumph at the Los Angeles Lakers.
In Dwight Howard's first match against Orlando since his lucrative switch to Los Angeles in August, it was the Magic who came up trumps at the Staples Center.
Experienced campaigners Al Harrington and Hedo Turkoglu were absent but it mattered little thanks to starring efforts from Arron Afflalo (30 points), Glen Davis (23 points and 12 rebounds) and Jameer Nelson (19 points and 13 assists).
Kobe Bryant posted a game-high 34 points, while Howard scored 21 points and 15 rebounds as Lakers slipped to 3-4 under new coach Mike D'Antoni.