Ray Allen had 19 points as the Boston Celtics came out on top of a tense encounter with the San Antonio Spurs 80-77.

Tony Parker scored 25 points but missed four free throws in the final minute with San Antonio needing just two to tie the game.

Kevin Garnett returned for Boston for the first time in a month after missing 13 games with a knee injury.

The Charlotte Bobcats won their third straight game with a 102-89 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Gerald Wallace had 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists while Boris Diaw also scored 30 points for the Bobcats.

For the Raptors, the defeat was their ninth in their last 10 games while Chris Bosh scored 35 points.

The Dallas Mavericks left it late to secure a 94-92 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Dirk Nowitzki's 18 foot stepback shot with just over a second left ensured he scored 23 points and lifted his side to a welcome victory after losing three of their last four.

NBA leading scorer Dwayne Wade saw his return to the Miami Heat side spoiled by a 96-88 defeat to the New Jersey Nets.

Wade had 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists in his first game back following a one-game absence due to a hip flexor injury. Vince Carter had 17 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Nets while Jarvis Hayes and Chris Douglas-Roberts each finished with 18 points.

Kev Martin helped the Sacramento Kings overcome the New York Nicks with a 121-94 victory. Martin had 30 points while Beno Udrih added 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to hand the Kings their first win over a side from the other conference this season.

Deron Williams scored 24 points and added 11 assists to lead the Utah Jazz to a 101-94 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Carlos Boozer added 15 points and eight rebounds while Kevin Durant led the way for the Thunder with 24 points and 12 rebounds.

Yao Ming contributed with 14 points and eight rebounds before leaving in the third quarter as the Houston Rockets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 107-88. Ron Artest scored 20 points while Aaron Brooks and Von Wafer added 13 each for the Rockets.

The short-handed Detroit Pistons battled for a 108-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Playing without four of their top five scorers Detroit picked up their 13th successive win over the Clippers as Antonio McDyess scored 24 points and Tayshaun Prince added 23.

A season-high 40 points for JR Smith helped the Denver Nuggets claim their fifth win in a row with a 116-105 victory over the Washington Wizards.

Smith fell just short of his career high of 43 that he set on February 22 last year while Chris Andersen had 18 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks.

Finally, a late flurry carried the New Orleans Hornets to a 96-84 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Chris Paul scored 32 points with David West adding 29 to condemn the Grizzlies to a third straight defeat while the Golden State Warriors overcame the disruption of a power failure to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 119-111.