North-West Division leaders the Denver Nuggets saw off Pacific counterparts Los Angeles Lakers 126-113 in Saturday's big NBA game.
Chauncey Billups won his personal battle against Kobe Bryant with a career-best 39 points to Bryant's 33, and JR Smith added 27 - the 10th time this season he has recorded 20 points or more off the bench.
The win was all the more impressive for being achieved without Carmelo Anthony, the league's leading scorer in terms of points per game.
The Minnesota Timberwolves ended a 13-game losing streak and Washington Wizards also produced a major upset as divisional leaders Dallas and Orlando were humbled.
The Maverickss, top of the South-West Division, benched Dirk Nowitzki after the Germany forward turned up late for the game, but he still top-scored with 21.
Six Timberwolves reached double figures in a 117-108 win.
An amazing 39-17 third quarter saw the Wizards win a one-point game against South-East pace-setters the Magic.
Caron Butler and Randy Foye combined for 34 of those points on their way to respective totals of 31 and 22.
The Boston Celtics heaped more misery on the 4-45 New Jersey Nets, Ray Allen (26) leading the Atlantic Division leaders to a 96-87 home win.
Josh Smith recorded an incredible triple-double - 18 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists - as the Atlanta Hawks beat the Chicago Bulls 91-81 after a 27-11 final quarter.
Amar'e Stoudemire scored 30 points as the Phoenix Suns beat the Sacramento Kings 114-102, while Ersan Ilyasova's career-best 25 helped the Milwaukee Bucks to a 114-107 win over New York Knicks.
Australian centre Andrew Bogut registered six points, three rebounds and a block in little more than five minutes for Milwaukee but had to leave the court due to a migraine and never returned.
Elsewhere, the Indiana Pacers beat the Detroit Pistons 107-83, the Houston Rockets saw off the Memphis Grizzlies 101-83 and the Philadelphia 76ers won 101-94 against the New Orleans Hornets.