Australia's Ben Simmons and Aron Baynes have had a day to forget in the NBA.
Simmons' Philadelphia 76ers were beaten 119-104 by lowly Detroit Pistons, while compatriot Baynes' Toronto Raptors suffered a 129-114 loss to Indiana Pacers.
Simmons had 11 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals as the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia (12-6) heavily missed the presence of Joel Embiid on Monday. The Sixers star was ruled out with back tightness.
Delon Wright scored a career-high 28 points and Jerami Grant had 25 for Detroit (4-13), who still have the NBA's worst record. The Pistons never trailed in the match, bouncing back from a 114-110 loss to the 76ers on Saturday.
Tobias Harris led Philadelphia with 25 points.
In Indianapolis, Baynes had nine points, two rebounds and a block as Toronto dropped to 7-10 following their 15-point defeat to the Pacers.
Malcolm Brogdon scored 19 of his 36 points in the second half and Indiana out-scored the Raptors 31-17 in the final quarter to go fourth in the Eastern Conference (10-7).
Jeremy Lamb added 22 points off the bench for the hosts, while Myles Turner had 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Fred VanVleet led the Raptors with 25 points and six rebounds, while Norman Powell scored 24 points.
The teams split the two-game set after Toronto won on Sunday. The Pacers had lost their four previous games against the Raptors.
LeBron James went on a scoring tear in the fourth quarter, getting 21 of his 46 points with a variety of dazzling shots and plays only he seems to make, leading Los Angeles to a 115-108 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Anthony Davis added 17 points as the defending NBA champions improved to 10-0 away from home.
At Barclays Center in New York, James Harden scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter while Kevin Durant added 20 and Kyrie Irving 16 to lead Brooklyn Nets to a 98-85 victory over Miami Heat.
In Dallas, Michael Porter Jr. tied his season-high with 30 points and the Denver Nuggets overcame Jamal Murray's ejection for a shot to the groin of guard Tim Hardaway Jr. to beat the Mavericks 117-113.
And Nikola Vucevic had a double-double (28 points, 12 rebounds) to steer Orlando Magic to a 117-108 triumph at home to Charlotte Hornets.
In the late games, Boston Celtics downed the Chicago Bulls 119-103, the Golden State Warriors were too strong for the Minnesota Timberwolves 130-108 and the Oklahoma City Thunder edged the Portland Trailblazers 125-122.
Australian Associated Press
