Nowitzki, Howard carry the Mavericks

Dirk Nowitzki had 38 points and Josh Howard made a go-ahead layup with 0.9 of a second left to rally the Dallas Mavericks past the Toronto Raptors, 97-96, Sunday in Toronto.

With Nowitzki triple-teamed, Howard made a wide-open layup to give Dallas the lead. Toronto’s Anthony Parker missed a three-point shot at the buzzer.

Nowitzki had 11 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals for the Mavericks, winners of 17 of their last 18 games.

Toronto’s Chris Bosh had 24 points and 15 rebounds, but his turnover after winning a jump ball set up the Mavericks’ last play with 6.5 seconds left. After the Mavericks inbounded, three players converged on Nowitzki, allowing Howard to stand under the basket uncovered.

“We really didn’t show up until the second quarter and then we were in a dog fight,” Nowitzki said. “We got a little lucky. They both went with me and Josh was open.”

The Raptors led by as many as 16, but Nowitzki scored eight straight points to start the fourth to cut the lead to three.

Denver 109, Portland 93 -- Allen Iverson scored 32 points and Steve Blake added a career-high 25 against his former team, leading the visiting Nuggets past the Trail Blazers.

Iverson added nine assists for Denver, which outscored Portland, 41-17, in the third quarter. Rookie Sergio Rodriguez scored a career-high 23 points and had 10 assists for the Trail Blazers.