The Chicago Bulls went on a late run to beat the Boston Celtics in the NBA, while the Los Angeles Clippers took a tight win.
Again without star Derrick Rose, who missed his fourth straight game with back spasms, the Bulls recorded an 89-80 win over the Celtics at the United Center.
With scores locked at 69-69 in the fourth quarter, the Eastern Conference-leading Bulls went on a 12-0 run.
Luol Deng (23 points and 10 assists), Carlos Boozer (23 points and 15 rebounds) and Joakim Noah (15 points and 16 rebounds) all contributed.
The win helped the Bulls improve to seven wins from nine matches without Rose this season.
For the Celtics, who are behind the Philadelphia 76ers in the Atlantic Division, Kevin Garnett had 18 points and 10 rebounds as they lost their second consecutive game.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers came from behind to snatch a 74-71 win against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Blake Griffin (21 points and 14 rebounds) led the way for the Clippers, who trailed by 18 points early in the third quarter as both teams shot below 40 per cent for the game.
Despite shooting struggles, the Pacific Division-leading Clippers battled to a win at the Rose Garden, where Nicolas Batum and Jamal Crawford both scored 19 points for the Trail Blazers.
Elsewhere, the Indiana Pacers ended their losing run at five with a 93-88 victory against strugglers the New Jersey Nets.
Danny Granger, playing with a sprained ankle, netted 32 points as the Central Division's second-placed team returned to winning ways.