The Golden State Warriors' unbeaten start to the season has continued as the NBA champions improved to 21-0 with a win over the Toronto Raptors.

The visitors dominated the first quarter, before Kyle Lowry got the Raptors back into the game in the third quarter on his way to 41 points.

Stephen Curry, who was the game's top-scorer with 44 points, ensured that the Warriors held on for the win though, coming from three points down inside the final four minutes.

The Cleveland Cavaliers slipped to a third straight loss as the Miami Heat picked up a comfortable home win over last season's beaten NBA finalists.

The visitors rested LeBron James against his old team, allowing Dwyane Wade and Tyler Johnson to lead the way for the Heat, helping the hosts open up a 16-point lead by the end of the first half, which Cleveland were unable to close in the second half.

The San Antonio Spurs remain unbeaten at home after beating the Boston Celtics in a closely-fought contest at the AT&T Center.

The home side had a 15-point lead going into the fourth quarter, but Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley quickly closed the gap for Boston, leaving them just three points behind inside the last two minutes, but they could not complete the turnaround.

The Houston Rockets extended their winning run to three games with victory over the Sacramento Kings, giving them their 10th victory of the season.

Dwight Howard, who sat out of Friday's game, returned to the starting lineup while James Hardens scored a season-high 31 points, ensuring that the Rockets peaked in the fourth quarter to hold off the Kings.

The Philadelphia 76ers slipped to their 20th defeat of the season as the Denver Nuggets finished strongly to secure a narrow win at the Wells Fargo Center.

The home side surged ahead before half time, and were still eight points ahead going into the final 12 minutes, but Kenneth Faried led the fightback for Denver, before a dunk from Danilo Galinari gave the visiting side the lead inside the final minute.

The Orlando Magic lost for the first time in six games as the Los Angeles Clippers finished strongly for a narrow win at the Staples Center.

Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton left the Magic 12 points up heading into the fourth quarter, but Jamal Crawford stepped up late on for the Clippers, adding 16 of his 32 in the final period to see out the win.

The Portland Trail Blazers had to overturn a 17-point deficit in the second half to secure a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves for the second time this season.

Having given up a big lead in their first home game of the season, which was also against Portland, Minnesota tried to wrap the game up early, with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins leading the way.

However, Damian Lillard put his first-half struggles behind him, having missed nine of his first 12 shots of the tie, to lead the comeback for the visitors, finishing the game with 19 points.

The Charlotte Hornets claimed just their third win away from home this season as they beat the Chicago Bulls at the United Center.

The hosts were just ahead going into the fourth quarter, but Nicolas Batum scored half of his 24 points in the last 12 minutes to lift the Hornets to victory.

The Utah Jazz clinched a win in overtime against the Indiana Pacers, despite Paul George scoring 48 points for the visiting side.

Utah pulled ahead early on before the Pacers closed the gap either side of half time, leaving the scores level at the end of the fourth quarter.

George edged the Pacers ahead at the start of the additional period, but Derrick Favors continued his strong shooting performance for the Jazz, edging the hosts to their ninth win of the season.

The Milwaukee Bucks held off a comeback from the New York Knicks to secure their eighth win of the season.

The home side dominated the start of the third quarter, outscoring their opponents 21-4 on their way to opening up a 21-point lead.

Carmelo Anthony closed the gap for the Knicks, leading the scoring with 18 points, although he missed 11 of his 17 shots from the field, allowing Michael Carter-Williams to keep Milwaukee ahead.

Results in full: Denver Nuggets 108-105 Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors 112-109 Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers 84-99 Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets 102-96 Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings 113-120 Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers 109-103 Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks 91-106 Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics 105-108 San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers 119-122 Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic 101-103 Los Angeles Clippers