Reigning NBA champions the Milwaukee Bucks claimed another big win on Friday as they toppled the Chicago Bulls 118-112.
Jrue Holiday came up big down the stretch to finish on 26 points, while Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 16 rebounds as the Bucks made it three wins on the spin.
While the Bucks are regaining form at the right time, the Bulls have now lost four on the bounce, though they hold an identical 39-25 record to Milwaukee.
Holiday hit the game-winning layup with less than two seconds left in the Bucks' win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday and he scored 15 points in the final quarter to help ensure the Bucks' 14th win against the Bulls in their last 15 meetings.
DeMar DeRozan has 29 points but was kept well contained overall, with Zach LaVine top scoring for Chicago with 30.
It was far from plain sailing for the Bucks, however, with Chicago having overturned an initial 14-point deficit to lead by seven after the third quarter.
Suns edge out Knicks as Randle's temper flares
Next up on the Bucks' tough run are the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns, who scraped onto 51 wins for the season with a 115-114 triumph over the New York Knicks.
Cameron Johnson hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to snag a comeback victory and finish with a career-high 38 points in the process.
The Suns, without Chris Paul and Devin Booker, looked set to lose out with the Knicks leading by 14 in the third quarter, only for Julius Randle to be ejected after a confrontation with Johnson.
Sixers make it five in a row
The Philadelphia 76ers reeled off a fifth straight win as they dispatched the Cleveland Cavaliers 125-119.
James Harden had 25 points and 11 rebounds to continue his strong start, while Joel Embiid got a relatively low, by his standards, 22 points on the board. That was no matter for Philadelphia, though, as Tyrese Maxey scored 33 points, with his haul including five three-pointers.
The Utah Jazz had a shocker as they went down 124-90 to the New Orleans Pelicans, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 33 points was not enough as the Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and there were victories for the Houston Rockets, the Atlanta Hawks, the Detroit Pistons and the Orlando Magic.
A struggling Russell Westbrook declared "I'm not a quitter" after another night to forget in the Los Angeles Lakers' defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Westbrook has failed to hit the heights since joining the Lakers from the Washington Wizards in August.
The 2017 MVP could only muster a 17-point haul in a heavy 132-111 loss to the Clippers on Thursday and averages just 18.1 points this season.
That is now four successive defeats for the Lakers, who are ninth in the Western Conference at 27-35 as they continue to fall short without the injured Anthony Davis.
Westbrook said he had been dealing with critics since he was born and was involved in a tense exchange with a reporter after the Lakers' latest loss.
But the 33-year-old insists he will not be throwing the towel in.
"My role and what I'm doing has changed every single night, so I'm just trying to figure that out as I'm playing and to be able to benefit and help my team," he said.
"But my expectations are still the same. I'm not a quitter. It's not in my genes. I don't quit, regardless of what the hell is going on. I'm going to fight to the end and if it don't work, that’s cool, too.
"I can live with the results. But I’m never going to give up or give in because of a little struggle that’s happening this time of the year."
Westbrook says he did not sign for the Lakers with the expectation that it would all be plain sailing.
"Expectation? I come into every situation the same," he said. "The last four years I've been on different teams, so my vision of kind of everything is going to be peaches and cream, I don't.
"That's not life. So for me I come into every situation, start from ground zero and try to figure it out along the way."
Jayson Tatum said having fun was the key to the Boston Celtics' strong form after Thursday's 120-107 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Celtics moved to 38-27 as Tatum put on a 21-point fourth-quarter blitz, racking up 37 points overall on his 24th birthday.
His stellar showing was key as Grizzlies star Ja Morant impressed again, with 38 points, four rebounds and seven assists.
And Tatum, whose side sit fifth in the Eastern Conference, believes that embracing the fun factor has been crucial to the Celtics' promising season.
“I think watching us now, we play with a lot more passion,” he said. “We just seem like we’re having a lot more fun.
“This is basketball at the end of the day, and it’s supposed to be a lot of fun,” said Tatum. "And we've been having a lot of fun lately.”
Team-mate Al Horford cited the side's solid work on defense as the foundation of their success, with the Celtics boasting a defensive rating of 105.4 – second only to the Golden State Warriors.
However, he conceded there was still work to be done on the offensive front.
“Defensively, I feel like we know who we are,” Horford said. "On offense, I feel like we're continuing to find our identity and how we want to play and what we want to do.
"The more and more you start playing that way, it almost becomes second nature.
"We're not there yet, but I feel like we're making a lot of progress and it's going to be at the point that we're not even thinking about it and we're moving the ball, making the simple reads, and I feel like that's when we'll be at our best.”
Kevin Durant returned from injury with 31 points but the Brooklyn Nets' struggles continued with a 113-107 defeat to the Miami Heat.
Durant had missed the past 21 games due to an MCL sprain sustained on January 16, with the Nets going 5-16 in his absence, and they led by 16 points in the first half upon his return, but could not sustain it.
The 2014 NBA MVP had a three-point attempt with 57 seconds left which would have put the Nets in the lead but he missed and the Heat scored from the ensuing possession via Bam Adebayo.
Adebayo finished the game with 30 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, while Tyler Herro came off the bench to contribute 27 points, four rebounds and eight assists.
Durant shot 10-of-21 from the field for his 31 points, including two three-pointers, with four rebounds and four assists.
The result leaves the Nets at 32-32 with a .500 record, while the Heat are top of the Eastern Conference with a 42-22 record.
Tatum leads Celtics final-quarter charge
The Boston Celtics continued their strong form as Jayson Tatum scored 21 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter in a 120-107 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Ja Morant maintained his own hot streak, with 38 points, four rebounds and seven assists.
Luka Doncic produced a dominant display with 41 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Golden State Warriors for the second time in five days, 122-113. Stephen Curry managed 21 points with nine assists for the Warriors who have lost seven of their past 10 games.
The Chicago Bulls suffered their third straight defeat with Trae Young scored 39 points with 13 assists as the Atlanta Hawks won 130-124.
Struggling Lakers beaten by Clippers
The Los Angeles Lakers slumped to their fourth consecutive loss going down to the Los Angeles Clippers 132-111 after being blown apart in a 40-18 third quarter. LeBron James shot eight-of-18 from the field for his 26 points with four turnovers, while Reggie Jackson scored 36 points for the Clippers.
Kevin Durant ominously said he will "only get better" after he scored 31 points on his return from a 21-game injury lay-off but that was not enough as the Brooklyn Nets lost 113-107 to the Miami Heat.
Brooklyn went 5-16 in Durant's absence, sliding from second in the Eastern Conference to eighth, after he sustained an MCL sprain on January 16.
The Nets led by as many as 16 points in the first half but the Heat fought back to win, with Durant playing 35 minutes on his return, scoring 31 points with four rebounds and four assists.
"I felt great. I'm only going to get better and get more comfortable out there," Durant said during his post-game news conference.
"Take more of the load out there too when I get more games under my belt. I felt solid."
The Nets were missing Kyrie Irving who is unable to play in home games at the Barclays Center due to the New York City vaccination rules, while recruit Ben Simmons is still yet to debut as he builds up his conditioning having not played all season.
Durant played alongside new signings Andre Drummond, Seth Curry and Goran Dragic in the starting line-up for the first time and admitted their cohesion may take time.
"It can take one game, it can take 20 games," he said. "It's a matter of getting out there and seeing what works for us.
"It's not like a certain formula that goes into how you know to build chemistry. It's an organic thing that happens naturally."
The Nets do not have time on their side, with the defeat leaving them at .500 with a 32-32 record having lost three in a row.
"It's to focus on the details every day," Durant said when asked what his short-term focus was. "Obviously winning basketball games, I don’t even need to say that, that's always the goals.
He added: "You've got to give Miami credit. There's no moral victories, but we look at the film, we know how we play, we know what we need to do to win."
James Harden declared Philadelphia "feels like home" after starring on his home debut for the 76ers in their 123-108 victory against the New York Knicks.
After playing his part in road wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Knicks, all eyes were on Harden for his Wells Fargo Center bow on Wednesday.
The 10-time NBA All-Star did not disappoint as he dazzled with 26 points, nine assists and as many rebounds to make it three wins from three since arriving from the Brooklyn Nets.
Harden missed the 76ers' previous home game with a niggling hamstring injury but took little time to settle into his new surroundings, roared on by a capacity crowd.
Reflecting on his first home game for his new side, Harden said he feels extra motivated to repay supporters.
"It's just exciting. The love, the fans, it feels like home," he said. "Just the love, the support, man, from looking around, hearing, 'We love you James.'
"That right there makes me go out and play harder, and I just wanted to do whatever it takes to get the win.
"I feel like you can put me anywhere in the room and I can fit in. Here is no different. Just see what you have and try your best to fit in.
"I've got to be the best James Harden I can be in every aspect."
The Sixers have now won four in a row and trail Eastern Conference leaders the Miami Heat by just three games ahead of Saturday's showdown in Florida, which comes hot on the heels of Friday's meeting with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"Every game for us is gonna be tough," Harden added. "We're new, we're fairly new, we're still learning each other.
"Every game is going to be a learning experience for us, and we've got to just find ways to continue to chip away, continue to get better, win or lose.
"Obviously it's better when you win to figure it out, but it's going to be great tests for us and we're really looking forward to it."
Harden has accrued 82 points across his first three games for the Sixers, totalling 110 minutes on the court, for an average of 27.3 points per game.
That compares to 22.5 across 44 games for the Nets this season.
Despite Harden's efforts, it was Joel Embiid who led the scoring for Philadelphia against the Knicks with 27 points in another encouraging individual and team display.
While it is still early on, Embiid is just as excited as the supporters about what Harden can bring to the side.
"I mean, we all just fit together," Embiid said. "You've got someone in James that comes in with his experience and his playmaking ability, scoring ability
"You add up what he adds and he's been amazing, and what we have on the team. It all fits."
Jrue Holiday insisted the Milwaukee Bucks cannot reflect on their dramatic win over the Miami Heat for too long.
Holiday came up with the game-winning lay-up as the Bucks edged out the Heat 120-119 on Wednesday, having trailed by 14 points heading into the final six minutes.
It capped a six-game home stretch in style, though Milwaukee now face tough matchups against the Chicago Bulls and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns.
"We can't really dwell on this win," Holiday told reporters. "We accept it and we love it, but these games are not stopping."
Holiday had 25 points and 11 assists, though Giannis Antetokounmpo was Milwaukee's standout performer with double-double of 28 points and 17 rebounds, with the Greek adding a further five assists.
"We've done it before," Antetokounmpo said as the Bucks moved to 38-25 for the season.
"We did it against Boston. We were down 13 in the Christmas game and came back and won the game."
Coach Mike Budenholzer said: "The guys found a way. They'd do anything they could to keep them from putting it in.
"A lot of plays down the stretch, a lot of guys did things to contribute. The team just stuck to it tonight, played for 48, found a way to get a win against a tough team. A hell of an NBA game."
Antetokounmpo, however, was also involved in a contentious moment that kick-started Milwaukee's comeback.
The Bucks' talisman forced a jump ball against Jimmy Butler, which the Heat believed was worthy of a foul, though no such call came.
"I'm not going to go on a big rant about the officiating," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "I'm just shocked. I'm shocked that wasn't a foul on Jimmy as we were trying to inbound.
"We certainly had some other opportunities to be able to close out the game, particularly when we were up four. That's just the way it goes.
"I just can't imagine from my vantage point how that wasn't a foul.
"We did enough for 47 minutes and change to put ourselves in position to win this game. We just couldn't close it out."
Antetokounmpo, of course, pleaded his innocence.
He explained: "I was able to get my hands on the ball, and at the end of the day, when you want to win, things just happen. That's just instinct talking."
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