LeBron James led the Miami Heat to a win over the Dallas Mavericks in their first action since the All-Star break.

The forward scored a season-high 42 for the defending champions, with 10 coming in the fourth quarter as the Heat opened up their lead.

The Indiana Pacers started strongly against the Atlanta Hawks to win their first game back from the break.

The home side were 12 points ahead by the end of the first quarter, and never saw their lead come under pressure as Paul George added 26.

The San Antonio Spurs continued their impressive away form with victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Spurs, who are looking to clinch their 17th consecutive winning season on the road, needed a run from Patty Mills late on, as the point guard added 25 off the bench, including 16 in the fourth quarter.

The Cleveland Cavaliers extended their winning run to five games by thrashing the Philadelphia 76ers.

Kyrie Irving, who was named MVP during the All-Star game, played just 23 minutes, but managed to score 14, while Tyler Zeller led the team with 18, inflicting a ninth straight defeat upon their hosts.

The Phoenix Suns needed overtime to claim victory over the Denver Nuggets, who have now lost five in a row.

The teams were close throughout, with neither opening up a commanding lead, but Gerald Green added eight of his 36 points in the extra spell to make sure of the win for the visitors.

The Charlotte Bobcats proved too strong for the Detroit Pistons in the battle for the final playoff place in the Eastern Conference.

The Bobcats extended their lead over their opponents for eighth place, with Al Jefferson adding 32 to give his side their second win over Detroit this season.

The Memphis Grizzlies had to finish well to clinch a narrow win over the New York Knicks, extending their unbeaten run to three games.

The Knicks came back from 18 points down in the second half, but Mike Miller made a three-pointer inside the final minute to put the game beyond doubt for the home side.

The Toronto Raptors came out strong in the second half to secure a win over the Washington Wizards.

The visitors had a narrow lead at half time following a slow start to the meeting, but Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan ensured that they had an advantage of 17 by the end of the third quarter.

The Milwaukee Bucks' young players held on to take victory over the Orlando Magic.

The team with the worst record in the league used the game to give their rookies more playing time, and it paid off when Nate Wolters made a three-pointer with 29 seconds left to play.

Results in full: Atlanta Hawks 98-108 Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers 114-85 Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors 103-93 Washington Wizards, Charlotte Bobcats 108-96 Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks 93-98 Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando Magic 100-104 Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat 117-106 Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns 112-107 Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs 113-103 Los Angeles Clippers