Jaylen Brown had 24 points and 10 rebounds off the bench as the Boston Celtics beat the Charlotte Hornets 126-94 despite the absence of NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving.
Jayson Tatum scored 20 points while Terry Rozier had 17 points and tied a career high with 10 assists, deputising for Irving who missed his second-straight game with a left-hip strain.
Fifth in the eastern conference, Boston won for the seventh time in eight games to improve to 32-19.
Kemba Walker top scored for Charlotte with 21 points. They are in the eighth and final play-off spot in the east with a 24-26 record.
Nikola Jokic had 20 points, 13 rebound and 10 assists for his eighth triple-double of the season as the Denver Nuggets overcame the undermanned New Orleans Pelicans 105-99.
Malik Beasley scored 22 points and Monte Morris added 20 to help the Nuggets (35-15) win their fourth straight and edge closer to the western conference leading Golden State Warriors.
Kenrich Williams hit five of nine 3-point shots and scored a career-high 21 for the scrappy Pelicans while Jrue Holiday had 22 points.
Dallas Mavericks rolled over the New York Knicks 114-90 as Dirk Nowitzki turned back the clock with a season-high 14 points in what might have been his final appearance at Madison Square Garden.
The 40-year-old German star, in his 21st NBA season, made a big impact in less than 12 minutes on court while rookie Luka Doncic warmed up after an airball on his first shot to score 16points.
Dennis Smith Jr. had his second career triple-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists and Harrison Barnes led the Mavericks with 19 points.
Bradley Beal scored 25 points and Jeff Green added 23 as the Washington Wizards defeated the Indiana Pacers 107-89, who have now lost three in a row.
Chicago Bulls upset the play-offs chasing Miami Heat 105-89 with Bobby Portis coming off the bench for a game-high 26 points.
Lauri Markkanen had 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulls, who finished January with a 2-13 record - their second-worst mark ever in that month.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored all 16 of his points after halftime, including a buzzer-beating desperation shot in overtime to lift the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Memphis Grizzlies 99-97.
