Dwyane Wade returned to help the Miami Heat beat the New York Knicks in the NBA on Friday, while Derrick Rose starred for the Chicago Bulls.
Wade, returning after spraining his right ankle, scored 28 points and had four assists as the Heat edged the Knicks 99-89.
LeBron James added 31 as he and Wade put together a highlights reel of dunks in the first quarter against a Knicks side missing the injured Carmelo Anthony.
With Anthony absent, the Knicks shot from three-point range 43 times - the NBA record is 49 - and netted 18.
The Heat recorded their third straight win and sit second in the Eastern Conference, while the Knicks are third in the Atlantic Division.
Meanwhile, Rose hit 34 points as the Eastern Conference-leading Bulls proved too good for the Milwaukee Bucks with a 107-100 win.
In the absence of Richard Hamilton and Luol Deng, last season's MVP Rose stepped up, while Joakim Noah collected a season-high 16 rebounds.
Elsewhere, the Boston Celtics improved to nine wins, nine losses thanks to a 94-87 victory against the Indiana Pacers.
Paul Pierce (28 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists) was again the star as the Celtics moved into second in the Atlantic.
Rudy Fernandez netted 23 points, Danilo Gallinari 21 and Nene 20 as the Denver Nuggets disposed of the Toronto Raptors 96-81.
The New Orleans Hornets ended a run of nine consecutive losses with a 93-67 win over the Orlando Magic, while the Houston Rockets thrashed the Washington Wizards 103-76.
Kevin Love (18 points and 16 rebounds) saw the Minnesota Timberwolves defeat the San Antonio Spurs 87-79, while the Dallas Mavericks overcame the Utah Jazz 116-101.
The New Jersey Nets recorded consecutive wins for the first time this season after a 99-96 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Deron Williams scored 27 points for the Nets, while top draft pick Kyrie Irving managed a season-high 32, including 21 in the fourth quarter.
Joe Johnson's 30 points led the Atlanta Hawks to a 107-101 win against the Detroit Pistons, while Kevin Durant managed 37 in the Oklahoma City Thunder's 120-109 defeat of the Golden State Warriors.
In other matches, the Philadelphia 76ers predictably overcame the struggling Charlotte Bobcats 89-72 and the Portland Trail Blazers hammered the Phoenix Suns 109-71.