The standings didn't reflect it, but the Denver Nuggets thought they broke their 14-game road losing streak against the best team in the world.
The Portland Trail Blazers just settled for a victory over NBA-leading Sacramento Kings.
The Nuggets overcame a 40-point performance by Shaquille O'Neal in his return from a three-game suspension and beat the Los Angeles Lakers 107-91 Tuesday night.
"We needed one. It's always great when you beat the No. 1 team on the planet," said Zendon Hamilton, one of four double-figure scorers for Denver.
In Portland, Bonzi Wells scored a career-high 34 points, and Rasheed Wallace made a career-best six 3-pointers and added 33 points and 15 rebounds as the Trail Blazers beat Sacramento 116-110 in overtime, snapping the Kings' 12-game winning streak.
"They were aggressive at home, and they played their best ball," Sacramento's Chris Webber said. "That's what you have to do to beat a good team like us."
The Nuggets shot 39-for-69 — a season-best 56.5 percent — for just their fourth victory in 18 games.
"We were about due for a win," said Voshon Lenard, who scored 13 of his season-high 29 points in the fourth quarter. "You wouldn't expect it to come against a great team like the Lakers. We had nothing to lose, and that's the way we played. Maybe this is the start for us."
O'Neal, who also had 11 rebounds and five assists, scored 27 points in the first half, but had little help. Kobe Bryant had 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists and was the only other Los Angeles player to score more than eight points.
The Trail Blazers (21-20) snapped a seven-game losing streak against the top five teams in the Western Conference, moving past .500 for the first time since Dec. 21.
Wells scored eight of his points in overtime, and the Blazers outscored Sacramento 16-10 in the extra period.
Webber had 34 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to lead Sacramento, which has the NBA's best record by a half-game over Minnesota and 1 1/2 over the two-time defending champion Lakers.
Mike Bibby added 27 points and Peja Stojakovic 21 for the Kings (31-10), who fell to 8-9 on the road.
MAVERICKS 113, ROCKETS 107: Steve Nash had 31 points, and Dirk Nowitzki added 25 as Dallas extended its winning streak to five games with a victory in Houston.
NETS 92, SPURS 86: Jason Kidd followed a 1-for-17 shooting performance with 28 points on 12-for-24 shooting and 11 rebounds to lead New Jersey to victory at San Antonio.
HEAT 92, BULLS 79: Rod Strickland scored 20 points and moved into seventh place on the NBA's career assist list as Miami beat Chicago, extending its winning streak to six games. Eddie Jones also scored 20 points for the Heat.
MAGIC 100, HAWKS 86: Pat Garrity scored a season-high 23 points, and Darrell Armstrong and Don Reid each added 15 points to lead Orlando past visiting Atlanta.
Jacque Vaughn and Hanno Mottola each scored 14 points for the Hawks, who have lost seven of eight.
SUNS 92, BUCKS 81: Shawn Marion had 24 points and 17 rebounds, and visiting Phoenix capitalized on Milwaukee's 0-for-15 shooting from 3-point range to snap the Bucks' eight-game winning streak.
76ERS 91, WIZARDS 84: Allen Iverson scored 22 of his 34 points in the second half to lead Philadelphia past host Washington. Michael Jordan had 28 points on 13-for-19 shooting at halftime, but shot 1-for-8 in the second half. He finished with 30 points, eight rebounds and five turnovers in 42 minutes.