The LA Lakers rallied from 51-49 down at the halfway point to sink the Memphis Grizzlies 114-98 at the Staples Center on Friday.

Kobe Bryant scored 41 points to pass the 24,000 career points mark, making 19 of 30 field-goal attempts.

The Denver Nuggets relinquished their unbeaten record in this season's NBA with a 96-88 defeat to the Miami Heat.

After five straight wins, this time Denver were almost a one-man team as Carmelo Anthony scored 30 points but was shown little support. The Heat produced a greater team effort and were led in scoring by Dwyane Wade who had 22 points.

Miami, like Denver, now have a record which shows five wins from six matches.

The same applies to the Phoenix Suns who beat the Boston Celtics 110-103, with Jason Richardson grabbing 34 points and 10 rebounds. Defeat meant Boston's six-game winning streak came to an end.

Watched by members of the World Series-winning Yankees, the New York Knicks could not rise to the occasion against the Cleveland Cavaliers and slumped 100-91 at Madison Square Garden. LeBron James scored 33 points for the Cavaliers.

The winless New Jersey Nets crashed to a sixth consecutive defeat as they were edged 97-94 by the Philadelphia 76ers, with Andre Iguodala's three-pointer late in the fourth quarter proving decisive.

The Orlando Magic were always in charge against the Detroit Pistons, aided by 22 points from Dwight Howard as they won 110-103.

An off-colour Atlanta Hawks were well beaten, 103-83, by the Charlotte Bobcats, who were led in scoring by Raja Bell's 24 points.

The Houston Rockets had 21-point games from Trevor Ariza and Carl Landry in their 105-94 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Russell Westbrook was on the losing side, despite scoring 33 points.

The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 87-72, and 27 points from Chris Bosh guided the Toronto Raptors to a 107-90 triumph against the New Orleans Hornets.

Danny Granger's 22 points helped the Indiana Pacers win comfortably, 102-96, against the Washington Wizards.

Eric Gordon and Baron Davis both had 25-point games as the LA Clippers did the damage early in their 118-90 win over the Golden State Warriors, while Brandon Roy scored 24 points for the Portland Trail Blazers in their 96-84 win against the San Antonio Spurs.