Denver Nuggets enjoyed a 105-79 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers, who had entered the fray on a six-game winning streak.

Carmelo Anthony poured in 25 points in 29 minutes as the Lakers managed only eight points in the third quarter.

Rafer Alston recorded a triple-double but it was in vain as the New Jersey Nets went down 88-72 to the Orlando Magic in Florida.

Alston finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists but could not overcome a big night from the Magic's Dwight Howard, who had 26 points and five blocks.

The Toronto Raptors came back from a 22-point deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 104-89.

Chris Bosh had 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Raptors, who ended the game on a 16-0 run.

The Boston Celtics suffered only their second home defeat of the season as the Atlanta Hawks won 97-86 at the Garden.

Joe Johnson had 24 points and Jamal Crawford 18 in the victory.

The New York Knicks suffered their sixth straight loss as they went down 121-107 to the Golden State Warriors at Madison Square Garden.

Stephen Jackson scored 23 points while Kelenna Azubuike, Monta Ellis and Corey Maggette had 22 each.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 20 points in just 29 minutes to lead the Dallas Mavericks to an 89-77 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, making it 13 straight wins over Minnesota for Dallas.

A pair of rookies were handed their first career starts for the Utah Jazz and responded accordingly in a 112-90 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Wesley Matthews marked the occasion with 16 points while Eric Maynor had 13 points and 11 assists.

LaMarcus Aldridge came up with 20 points and 13 rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers pulled out an 86-78 victory over the New Orleans Hornets.

The Hornets, under new head coach Jeff Bower, lost star guard Chris Paul to an injury in the third quarter, ending their hopes of recovering from a 10-point deficit.

Jason Thompson scored a career-high 27 points and added 11 rebounds as the Sacramento Kings racked up their fourth straight win with a 109-100 victory over the Houston Rockets.