Nuggets 102, Mavericks 100: Ty Lawson had 20 points and nine assists as host Denver held off Dallas.

Kenneth Faried had 18 points and 14 rebounds and Randy Foye added 17 for the Nuggets, who won their fifth straight home game. Foye made five 3-pointers, including the go-ahead shot with 1:11 remaining.

Dirk Nowitzki had 27 points and nine rebounds but missed a tying shot at the buzzer as the Mavericks had their four-game winning streak halted. Monta Ellis added 25 points and Vince Carter scored 16.

Nowitzki hit back-to-back baskets to give the Mavericks a 100-98 lead with 2:02 to play. Foye hit a 3-pointer to give Denver the edge less than a minute later and Faried split a pair of free throws with 14.7 second remaining prior to Nowitzki’s game-ending miss.

Denver led by as many as 17 points in the first half before settling for a 65-53 advantage at the break. The Mavericks improved their play in the third quarter and trailed 86-80 entering the fourth.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Faried was 7-of-7 from the field and has posted back-to-back double-doubles to raise his season count to six. … Dallas was 23-of-25 from the free-throw line with Nowitzki hitting all nine attempts. … Denver was 21-of-30 from the free-throw line and missed 37 over the last three games.