The Charlotte Bobcats have begun their push for a play-off berth with a 112-86 victory over the Toronto Raptors in the NBA.

Chris Bosh's 18 points and 14 rebounds was the only positive note for the Raptors, who slipped to their eighth defeat in nine outings.

Elsewhere, the Houston Rockets managed without the flu-stricken Yao Ming to beat the New Orleans Hornets 95-84.

Ron Artest scored all of his 18 points in the second half to end the Hornets' five-game home winning streak. He was ably assisted by Luis Scola and Aaron Brooks with 14 points each.

The Oklahoma City Thunder spoiled Gregg Popovich's 1000th game as San Antonio coach by beating the Spurs 78-76 to win their fourth straight game at home.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 25 points, while Tony Parker paced the Spurs with 28 points but missed a 3-pointer in clutch time to edge the win.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 22 points and eight rebounds and Brandon Roy finished with 20 points and nine assists to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 103-92 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Travis Outlaw added 18 points and Joel Przybilla had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who are trying to reach the Western Conference playoffs for the first time since 2003.

In the night's final game the Denver Nuggets extended their winning streak to three with a 121-96 win over the New Jersey Nets. JR Smith and Nene scored 19 points each and Chauncey Billups had 14 points.