The lowly New Orleans Pelicans caused an upset in one of six NBA games last night as they defeated the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers 114-108 in overtime.

New Orleans led by 13 with less than seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but LeBron James (37 points) clawed the Cavs back to force overtime before Anthony Davis (31 points, 12 rebounds) took over to seal the win.

The New York Knicks returned to .500 (10-10) with a convincing 108-91 over neighbours the Brooklyn Nets.

Carmelo Anthony top-scored with 28 points, while rookie Kristaps Porzingis again impressed with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

James Harden led the way as the Houston Rockets overcame fellow Texans the Dallas Mavericks 100-96.

It was a fourth win in five games for the Rockets, with Harden posting 25 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.

The Phoenix Suns suffered their third straight defeat as Bradley Beal led the Washington Wizards to victory at Verizon Center.

Beal had 34 points and nine rebounds as Washington came back from 10 points down in the fourth to win 109-106.

At the Palace of Auburn Hills, the Detroit Pistons defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 102-95.

Reggie Jackson and Marcus Morris both had 23 for the hosts, while Andre Drummond also pulled down 23 rebounds to go with his 17 points.

The Atlanta Hawks eased to a 100-87 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at Philips Arena.

A balanced performance from the home side saw five players post double-figure totals, led by Al Horford's 16.

Results in full: Brooklyn Nets 91-108 New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns 106-109 Washington Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks 95-102 Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Lakers 87-100 Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets 100-96 Dallas Mavericks, Cleveland Cavaliers 108-114 New Orleans Pelicans