Joel Embiid poured in 39 points as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Brooklyn Nets 123-110 at the Wells Fargo centre.

The 25-year-old finished with 13 rebounds and six assists on a night where he recorded his 27th game with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds.

Ben Simmons returned to the court after illness kept him out of the game against the Orlando Magic and recorded 16 points and eight assists.

The Nets have now lost five in seven games and drop into seventh in the Eastern Conference, while the 76ers sit in third.

Christian Wood starred in his third game for the New Orleans Pelicans, recording career highs of 25 points and nine rebounds.

The stellar night helped carry the Pelicans to a 121-118 win over the Sacramento Kings, who – with seven games remaining – have now dropped six-and-a-half games behind the San Antonio Spurs for the coveted eighth play-off spot in the West.

Meanwhile, the Miami Heat moved into eighth in the Eastern Conference after downing the Dallas Mavericks 105-99.

Goran Dragic finished with a triple-double of 23 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, while on the other side of the court, Luka Doncic finished with 19 points.

But Dwyane Wade deserved the plaudits, capturing the victory with a steal and lay-up in the dying seconds.

The Detroit Pistons clinched their 10th home win in a row with a 115-98 victory over the Orlando Magic and the Toronto Raptors toppled the New York Knicks 117-92, with Pascal Siakam amassing a total of 31 points.

The Spurs, meanwhile, beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 116-110 on the same night they retired Manu Ginobili's No 20 jersey.

DeMar DeRozan ended the night with 25 points, eight assists and two steals.

And James Harden propelled the Houston Rockets to a 112-85 victory over the Denver Nuggets with 38 points, while Khris Middleton led the way for the Milwaukee Bucks with 39 points in their 128-118 win over the LA Clippers.