LeBron James led the way with 38 points as the Miami Heat beat the New York Knicks 102-91 on Sunday.

The Knicks were helped by an NBA-record 22 three-point attempts from J.R. Smith, who scored 32 points, but they were unable to avoid losing further ground in the race for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Blake Griffin and Chris Paul both scored 23 points in a comfortable victory for the Los Angeles Clippers over the Los Angeles Lakers.

For the third meeting in a row the Clippers cruised past their rivals, with J.J. Redick adding 15 points to the effort to help secure a 120-97 win.

The Dallas Mavericks kept their playoff hopes alive by beating the Sacramento Kings 93-91 in a tight clash at the Sleep Train Arena.

Monta Ellis, who finished the game with 23 points, made a crucial late three-point effort followed by a trio of free-throws to guide the Mavericks to their third successive victory.

The Atlanta Hawks took full advantage of a below-par display from the Indiana Pacers to earn a 107-88 win over one of the favourites for the NBA title.

Indiana scored just 23 points in the first half of the game, and the Hawks used the platform to make sure that they remain on course for the playoffs.

Kevin Durant scored at least 25 points for the 41st game in a row on Sunday evening, but he was unable to help the Oklahoma City Thunder avoid a 122-115 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

The 25-year-old finished with 38 points on a night when the Thunder struggled to respond to the Suns, who held off the challenge from their opponents in the second half to remain eighth in the Western Conference.

A thrilling meeting between the Houston Rockets and the Denver Nuggets ended with the hosts needing overtime to record a 130-125 win in Texas.

James Harden topped the scoring charts with 32 points, but it was Chandler Parsons who contributed eight points in the extra period to edge the Rockets to victory after the scores were level on 117-117 at the end of the fourth quarter.

The San Antonio Spurs handled the absence of Tony Parker comfortably by beating the Memphis Grizzlies 112-92.

Parker was forced off with back problems in the first quarter, but Kawhi Leonard stepped up for the Spurs to record a career-high 26 points and send the Grizzlies out of the playoff places.

Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry combined for 64 points to guide the Golden State Warriors to a 130-102 win over the Utah Jazz.

Curry, who contributed 31 to the duo's point tally, also provided 16 assists for his teammates in Golden State's 48th victory of the campaign.

The Portland Trail Blazers confirmed their place in the playoffs by beating the New Orleans Pelicans 100-94 at the Moda Center.

Despite trailing by seven at the halfway stage, the Blazers battled impressively after the interval to clinch a spot in the playoffs thanks largely to 25 points and 18 rebounds from LaMarcus Aldridge.

Results in full: New York Knicks 91-102 Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers 97-120 Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks 93-91 Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks 107-88 Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets 125-130 Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies 92-112 San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz 102-130 Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder 115-122 Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Pelicans 94-100 Portland Trail Blazers