Anthony’s key plays lift Denver

Carmelo Anthony stole Dirk Nowitzki’s skip pass in the closing seconds, then made two free throws with nine seconds left Friday night to lead the Denver Nuggets past the Dallas Mavericks, 75-71, at Denver.

Anthony, whose alley-oop dunk from Marcus Camby broke a 71-71 tie with just over a minute left, stepped in front of Nowitzki’s crosscourt pass and then drew the foul going to the hoop.

Anthony finished with 23 points and Allen Iverson added 22 as the Nuggets won their fourth in a row and prevented the Mavericks from completing a season sweep.

The Nuggets remained 1 1/2 games ahead of the Clippers in the eighth playoff spot in the West.

Nowitzki, who missed the Mavericks’ last game because of food poisoning, finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds, but Dallas’ second-leading scorer, Josh Howard, sprained his right ankle going for a loose ball at midcourt with 4:40 left in the first quarter and didn’t return. He finished with two points.

Dallas lost its chance of joining the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls as the only teams in NBA history to win 70 games. The Mavericks had to win out and can get only to 69 wins.

Jason Terry added 13 points and Erick Dampier had 11 points and 13 rebounds for Dallas. Nene had 16 points and 10 rebounds for Denver.

Neither team shot well.

Dallas shot 36% and Denver shot 35.5%. Nowitzki was nine for 23, same as Iverson, and Anthony was only seven for 21.

The Nuggets took their first lead, 50-49, with 3:44 left in the third quarter when Iverson passed to Linas Kleiza on the left wing for a three-point basket. Anthony and Iverson each added a free throw to complete an 11-0 run.

Devin Harris’ layup ended Dallas’ drought and pulled the Mavericks to 52-51 entering the fourth quarter, when both teams had 8-0 runs but couldn’t pull away.

Toronto 94, Philadelphia 85 -- Chris Bosh had 23 points and 13 rebounds for his seventh double-double in a row to help Toronto win the Atlantic Division with a victory at Philadelphia.

The Raptors began the season with 2-8 start that gave little hint the playoffs were a possibility. Toronto’s 43 wins are a 16-win improvement for last season’s total of 27, the biggest turnaround in the NBA this season.

Toronto also kept its slim lead over Miami for third place in the Eastern Conference, which would set the Raptors up nicely for a first-round playoff matchup against Washington.

Sacramento 107, Utah 103 -- Kevin Martin had 21 points and John Salmons scored 17 points, including 11 in the final 3:49, to help the Kings rally past the Jazz at Sacramento.

Utah, which led by 17 points midway through the third quarter, has lost two in a row and three of four.

Chicago 105, New Jersey 74 -- Ben Gordon scored 27 points and Luol Deng added 24 points and 12 rebounds in the Bulls’ victory at Chicago. Kirk Hinrich scored 20 points for Chicago, which has won seven of its last eight games.

Minnesota 99, New York Knicks 94 -- Randy Foye scored 19 points and the Timberwolves, after losing an 18-point lead, held on to win at New York. The Knicks have lost four in a row and 10 of their last 12.

Indiana 112, Charlotte 102 -- Danny Granger made 11 of his first 12 shots from the field and scored 32 points to help the Pacers keep their playoff hopes alive at Charlotte, N.C.

Phoenix 103, New Orleans 95 -- Leandro Barbosa scored 26 points, Steve Nash matched his career best with his 49th double-double and the Suns won at Oklahoma City.

Portland 85, Houston 78 -- Rookie Brandon Roy scored 24 points and Jarrett Jack added 23 to help the Trail Blazers win at Houston. The Rockets were without Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, out because of back problems.

Atlanta 115, Milwaukee 102 -- Josh Smith had 28 points and a career-high 18 rebounds to help the Hawks end a seven-game home losing streak. The Bucks, who had only nine players in uniform, have lost eight of nine.

Miami 88, Boston 85 -- Shaquille O’Neal had 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Heat at Boston.

Golden State 116, Memphis 104 -- Baron Davis scored 31 points and had nine assists at Memphis, Tenn., and the Warriors won their fourth in a row.

Cleveland 99, Washington 94 -- LeBron James scored 14 of his 25 points and the Cavaliers held on to win at Washington.