NEW YORK (NBA) - Dirk Nowitzki scored 38 points and Josh Howard made the game-winning lay-up with one second remaining to lift the Dallas Mavericks to a 97-96 triumph over the Toronto Raptors.

It was the fourth successive victory and the 17th in 18 games for Dallas, who boast an NBA-best 31-8 record. The Mavericks also swept their season series with the Raptors and won their seventh consecutive meeting with Toronto.

German superstar Nowitzki was Dallas' driving force on Sunday, scoring 12 points in the Mavericks' fourth-quarter comeback while finishing with 11 rebounds and five assists.

Toronto held a 96-95 lead with nine seconds remaining when Chris Bosh won a jump ball over Dallas' Greg Buckner near the the Mavericks' basket.

But Nowitzki reached up and deflected the ball to Howard, who quickly called a time-out with six seconds left.

Inbounding the ball near half-court, Dallas put the ball in the hands of point guard Jason Terry, who was looking to set up Nowitzki for a final shot along the right wing.

Expecting the ball to go to Nowitzki, Bosh left Howard wide open under the basket to help Morris Peterson defend the German seven-footer.

Terry capitalised on the mistake, firing a quick pass to Howard, who barely got off the go-ahead lay-up with nine-tenths of a second left.

Terry scored 17 points while Howard finished with 14 despite shooting just five of 17 from the floor. Devin Harris chipped in 10 points for Dallas, who rallied from a 15-point third-quarter deficit.

Bosh scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Raptors, who have not beaten the Mavericks since November 2003.

Allen Iverson scored 32 points and Steve Blake added a career high 25 as the Denver Nuggets won for just the second time in nine games with a 109-93 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Portland had led 56-49 before Blake and Iverson took matters into their own hands early in the second-half. 

Blake hit four three-pointers and Iverson made a pair of jumpers and two free throws in an 18-0 run as Denver outscored Portland 41-17 in the third quarter.

Sergio Rodriguez sank an 18-foot jumper to bring the Trail Blazers within 96-86 with 6:00 remaining, but Iverson followed with a three-point play and Blake buried a long jumper with 4:22 to play.

PA Sport