Kyrie Irving hit a buzzer-beater to secure a 107-105 victory for the Dallas Mavericks over the Denver Nuggets.
The defending champion Nuggets rallied from 13 points down in the fourth quarter to lead the hosts 105-102. Mavericks star Luka Doncic hit a three-pointer with 25 seconds left to tie the game, before Irving floated in a left-handed shot from 20ft to seal the win.
Defeat means the Nuggets fall to second in the Western Conference, behind leaders the Oklahoma City Thunder. Doncic hit a game-high 37 points, while Irving added 24 to help the Mavericks end the Nuggets' five-game winning streak.
Denver's Jamal Murray scored 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to spark his side's comeback but it proved in vain. The Mavericks are seventh in the Western Conference, with the top-six sides in each conference guaranteed a play-off spot and teams in seventh to 10th entering the play-in tournament.
Elsewhere, Bam Adebayo hit a three-pointer from 30ft at the final buzzer to land the Miami Heat a 104-101 win over the Detroit Pistons Adebayo scored 20 points overall and claimed 17 rebounds, while Duncan Robinson top-scored with 30 points for the Heat, who are seventh in the Eastern Conference.
Robinson also became the fastest player in NBA history to make 1,000 three-pointers, reaching the mark in his 343rd game, seven faster than previous record holder Buddy Hield. The Milwaukee Bucks claimed an impressive 140-129 victory over the Phoenix Suns despite star player Giannis Antetokounmpo missing because of a hamstring injury.
Damian Lillard and Bobby Portis both made 31 points for the Bucks, who are second in the Eastern Conference. Sam Hauser scored a career-high 30 points, all from three-pointers, but sustained a left ankle sprain in the Boston Celtics‘ 130-104 victory over the Washington Wizards.
Jayson Tatum also had 30 points as the Celtics cruised to a fifth straight win to improve to an NBA-best 53-14. Meanwhile, Victor Wembanyama registered 33 points, 16 rebounds, seven blocks and seven assists in the San Antonio Spurs‘ 122-115 overtime win against the Brooklyn Nets.
Paolo Banchero's 29 points led the Orlando Magic to a 111-96 win over the Toronto Raptors, while the Atlanta Hawks beat the Los Angeles Clippers 110-93 with Dejounte Murray recording a double-double of 21 points and 10 assists.
— CutC by bbc.com
