Australian veteran Joe Ingles has helped the Orlando Magic tie their franchise record with a ninth straight NBA win.
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The 36-year-old Ingles came off the bench to score 14 points and provide seven assists in 25 minutes on court as the Magic (14-5) defeated the battling Washington Wizards 130-125 at home on Friday night.
Franz Wagner led the way with 31 points while Paolo Banchero had 28 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists and Moritz Wagner added 18 points for the Magic in a match that featured 13 lead changes.
Ingles is again proving a valuable addition with his experience, passing ability and three-point shooting in the first year of a two-year deal with the Magic amid a near decade-long stint in the NBA, mostly with Utah Jazz.
The Magic are one of only two NBA franchises without a double-digit win streak on their record. The Indiana Pacers' longest win streak is also nine games.
"(The win streak) is big time for this group, but more importantly I think it's big-time for the fans and the organisation," said Magic coach Jamahl Mosley.
"There's an energy, there's a vibe, a buzz about this group, and our guys are doing a good job of embracing it - not getting too high or too low but being able to register that this is something special."
Kevin Durant moved into 10th place on the NBA's career scoring list as his Phoenix Suns team lost 119-111 loss to defending champions Denver Nuggets.
Playing the 1003rd game of his career, 35-year-old Durant went past Moses Malone and now has an NBA career tally of 27,423 points after scoring 30.
It wasn't the 13-time All-Star's finest game however as he shot eight of 25 from the field - going 0 for 5 in the fourth quarter.
Australian Josh Green was handed a starting role for the Dallas Mavericks and scored 10 points to go with five assists in 31 minutes in a 108-94 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Mavericks (11-7) were without Luka Doncic (personal reasons) and fellow superstar Kyrie Irving failed to fire, making just three of 15 shots from the floor in his 10-point tally while missing with all five 3-pointer attempts.
Doncic missed a game for the first time this season after he joined his fiancee Anamaria Goltes in announcing the birth of their first child, a daughter.
Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies (5-13) with 30 points.
In Boston, Jayson Tatum scored 21 points before he was ejected for arguing near the end of the third quarter as his Celtics defeated depleted fellow eastern heavyweights Philadelphia 125-119.
Without their top two scorers, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, the 76ers (12-7) led 116-115 with under three minutes left before giving up the next eight points.
Jaylen Brown and Al Horford each scored 20 points for the Celtics (15-4), who had a full complement - until Tatum fouled out.
No.1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama (hip tightness) missed a game for the first time as his San Antonio Spurs tumbled to a 14th straight loss - losing 121-106 to the New Orleans Pelicans (11-9).
The 7-foot-3 Frenchman had started in San Antonio's first 18 games, during which he averaged 19.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks.
Australian youngster Dyson Daniels played 12 minutes off the bench for the Pelicans while CJ McCollum scored 19 points and Herb Jones added 17 points and three steals.
with AAP
Australian Associated Press
