The Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers stumbled to their third consecutive defeat on Sunday to Orlando Magic.
The Cavs had been enjoying a 13-game winning streak before losing to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. They then went down to the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday and followed that up with a 101-95 loss against the Magic at Amway Arena.
LeBron James poured in a game-high 33 points for the visitors but it was not enough as Dwight Howard's 22 points and 16 rebounds condemned the Cavs to their first three-game losing run for nearly two years.
Denver, second in the Western Conference, dented the Boston Celtics' fine away record with a 114-105 victory. All-Star duo Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony led the Nuggets with 26 and 23 points respectively.
Ray Allen had 25 points for Boston but could not prevent his side slipping to a first road defeat in four games.
The Utah Jazz remained hot on Denver's heels by extending their winning run to four games with a 92-89 overtime victory at the Portland Trail Blazers. Carlos Boozer had 22 points and a career-high 23 rebounds as the Jazz rallied from 25 points down in the third quarter.
The Oklahoma City Thunder sealed a ninth successive win with a hard-fought 109-107 triumph at the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kevin Durant's 32-point haul extending his run of games in which he has scored at least 25 points to 28 games.
The Golden State Warriors, second-bottom of the Western Conference, overturned an 18-point deficit to beat the Atlanta Hawks 108-104, thanks in no small part to a 32-point contribution from Stephen Curry.
The Detroit Pistons clinched a 109-101 overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs. Tim Duncan had a game-high 28 points for the Spurs but Richard Hamilton (27 points) and Rodney Stuckey (20) led the Pistons to victory.
In other games, the Memphis Grizzlies won 104-94 at the New Jersey Nets, the New Orleans Hornets triumphed 102-94 over the Houston Rockets and the Phoenix Suns prevailed 104-88 against the Sacramento Kings.
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