DALLAS (AP) -- J.R. Smith broke a tie in the final minutes with a layup and immediately followed with a jumper, lifting the Denver Nuggets to a 104-96 victory over the struggling and short-handed Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
Smith scored 23 points, seven after Dallas tied it at 94 with 2:51 left. Kenyon Martin added 18 as the Nuggets won for the seventh time in eight games. The NBA's highest-scoring team also cracked 100 after going a season-worst three straight games in double figures.
Playing without Jason Kidd or Tyson Chandler, the Mavericks lost their fourth straight, and ninth in a row against Western Conference playoff teams. They are 8-9 since an 18-1 spurt that put them in contention for the top overall seed.
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