Lebron James celebrated his 25th birthday with 48 points to guide the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 106-101 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Anderson Varejao also made the first three-pointer of his career with just 17.2 seconds left to tip the game in the home side's favour.
Elsewhere, the Indiana Pacers slumped to their eighth straight defeat as Rudy Gay scored 31 points for the visiting Memphis Grizzlies, while Vince Carter scored 25 points to help the Orlando Magic to a comfortable 117-92 victory at home against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The New Jersey Nets claimed only their third win of the season against the New York Knicks. The Nets ended a 10-game losing streak with the 104-95 victory with Brook Lopez returning 21 points and 14 rebounds.
The Utah Jazz saw a 17-point lead cut to three with just 35 seconds left before finally seeing off the Minnesota Timberwolves 107-103 and it was a similar story in New Orleans where the Hornets hit two late free throws to secure a 95-91 victory over the Miami Heat.
Amare Stoudemire and Channing Frye each scored 26 points as the Phoenix Suns handed the Boston Celtics their third straight defeat by 116-98. In the night's other games, the Portland Trail Blazers beat the LA Clippers 103-99 and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Sacramento Kings 116-106.