Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks had their winning run ended in the NBA on Friday, while Dirk Nowitzki inspired the Dallas Mavericks.
Lin, instrumental in helping the Knicks to seven consecutive wins, committed nine turnovers as they suffered a shock 89-85 loss to the New Orleans Hornets.
The point guard netted 26 points - as did team-mate Anthony Stoudemire - but the Hornets battled to just their seventh win of the season.
Trevor Ariza (25 points) and Greivis Vasquez (15 points and 11 assists) starred for the Hornets, who are bottom of the Southwest Division, while the Knicks are third in the Atlantic.
Elsewhere, Nowitzki guided champions the Dallas Mavericks to a come-from-behind 82-75 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
The German forward, last season's finals MVP, scored 28 points and had 12 rebounds as the Mavericks erased a 15-point deficit against the 76ers.
Their sixth consecutive win sees them second in the Southwest Division, while the 76ers stay top of the Atlantic.
The Miami Heat thrashed the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-87 as LeBron James, playing against his former team, contributed 28 points.
Dwyane Wade (22 points) and Chris Bosh (16 points and 12 rebounds) joined James in a dominant performance against the Cavaliers.
The Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder took a convincing 110-87 win over the Golden State Warriors, while the Los Angeles Lakers eased past the Phoenix Suns 111-99 on the back of Kobe Bryant's 36 points.
The Charlotte Bobcats recorded just their fourth win of the season and ended a 16-game losing streak as Reggie Williams (22 points) led them to a 98-91 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
Dwight Howard (26 points, 20 rebounds) helped the Orlando Magic to a 94-85 win against the Milwaukee Bucks, while Dante Cunningham tipped in Rudy Gay's missed effort with less than a second left to give the Memphis Grizzlies a 103-102 victory over the Denver Nuggets.
In other matches, Rodney Stuckey scored a season-high 36 points as the Detroit Pistons overcame the Sacramento Kings 114-108, the Minnesota Timberwolves were comfortable 111-98 winners against the Houston Rockets and the Utah Jazz beat the Washington Wizards 114-100 thanks to Al Jefferson's 34 points.