James Harden scored 30 points, carrying Houston on a night when Dwight Howard did little after fighting with Kevin Garnett, and the Rockets beat the slumping Brooklyn Nets 113-99 in NBA action on Monday.
Garnett was ejected in the first quarter after head-butting Howard in the face and throwing the ball at him, while Howard received a technical foul after appearing to punch or slap Garnett in the neck.
Howard had a quiet night otherwise, finishing with eight points and five rebounds, but the Rockets didn't need much in the middle while dominating from the outside with 16 3-pointers in 40 attempts.
Mason Plumlee scored a career-high 24 points for the Nets, who lost their sixth straight.
Houston has won four in a row, all by double digits, and blew away a Nets team that had held its previous eight opponents under 100 points, the longest streak in the NBA this season.
Nikola Vucevic had 33 points and 11 rebounds as Orlando ended a six-game losing streak with a 121-114 victory over Chicago.
Orlando shot a season-high 59 per cent from the field in their first win in Chicago since late 2013.
The Magic had lost three in a row and 12 of 15 against the Bulls since the start of the 2010-11 season.
Brandon Jennings had 34 points and 10 assists, and Detroit won for the ninth time in 10 games, downing the Toronto Raptors 114-111.
Greg Monroe had 22 points and 10 rebounds as the Pistons ended a four-game losing streak against Toronto.
Jared Sullinger had 27 points and 10 rebounds for Boston, and rookie Marcus Smart nailed a key 3-pointer in the closing minute as the Celtics beat the New Orleans Pelicans 108-100.
The Celtics won for the third time in their last 12 games. Jae Crowder scored 22 points, Marcus Thornton had 13 and Brandon Bass finished with 12.
Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 34 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
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