Carmelo Anthony hit a go-ahead jumper with 2:22 left, then added four straight free throws in the closing seconds to help the Denver Nuggets beat the Dallas Mavericks 107-102 Saturday after trailing by 20 points in the third quarter.
"We kept our focus. We buckled down defensively and tried to get a basket every time down the court," Anthony said. "They left us open. NBA players are supposed to make those."
The Nuggets sealed the win by hitting 10 straight free throws in the final 29 seconds after Mavericks coach Don Nelson was called for a technical foul.
"I guess you have to take some bad with the good," Nelson said. "We've been good for a long time. We let our guard down in the second half."
Anthony led the Nuggets with 26 points. Andre Miller scored 21 of his 25 after halftime.
Michael Finley led the Mavericks with 37 points, including 20 in the second quarter when Dallas appeared to take control. Antoine Walker and Dirk Nowitzki each scored 16.
Dallas has lost consecutive games following a season-best nine-game winning streak.
Nets 88, Rockets 77
In Houston, Kenyon Martin scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half as New Jersey overcame a slow start to rally past Houston, giving Lawrence Frank a 3-0 record as interim coach.
Frank is unbeaten since replacing Byron Scott on Jan. 26, and the Nets have won four in a row. New Jersey took the lead for good at 72-71 on a pair of free throws by Martin with 7:20 to play.
Jason Kidd finished with 21 points for the Nets, and Richard Jefferson had 17.
Steve Francis broke out of a shooting slump to lead the Rockets with 26 points.
Knicks 110, Suns 105
In New York, Stephon Marbury scored 33 of his 35 points in the first three quarters against his former team, and some untimely missed free throws by Phoenix helped New York defeat the Suns.
Keith Van Horn added 30 points for the Knicks, who led throughout the fourth quarter but couldn't put the pesky Suns away.
Joe Johnson scored a career-high 31 points for Phoenix.
It was the first meeting between the teams since the blockbuster, eight-player deal that sent Marbury and Penny Hardaway to New York.
Hawks 93, Bucks 83
In Atlanta, Shareef Abdur-Rahim scored 21 points, Jason Terry added 19 and the Hawks held off Milwaukee.
The Hawks were up 72-53 late in the third period. That's when the Bucks went on a 15-0 run as Atlanta went scoreless for 5:50, with Desmond Mason scoring five points to pull to 72-68 with 7:58 left. But Boris Diaw's basket broke the dry spell and the Bucks never got closer than four the rest of the way. Stephen Jackson added 15 points for the Hawks, and Theo Ratliff had 12.
Clippers 115, Magic 106
In Orlando, Florida, Marko Jaric scored 23 points, and Quentin Richardson and Elton Brand added 21 apiece to lead Los Angeles Clippers past Orlando.
Magic star Tracy McGrady missed the game to attend his aunt's funeral. He is expected back in time for Tuesday's game at Minnesota.
Gordon Giricek, starting in McGrady's place, led Orlando with 20 points. Juwan Howard added 19 points and five rebounds.
Pistons 80, Grizzlies 78
In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Chauncey Billups hit two free throws with 0.4 seconds left to give Detroit a victory over Memphis.
The Pistons led by 11 with three minutes to play, but Memphis' Pau Gasol scored seven points in an 11-0 run, finishing it with a three-point play that tied the game at 78 with 53 seconds to go.
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