Nowitzki's trey gets Dallas in playoffs

Dirk Nowitzki swished a 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds left, breaking a tie and giving the Dallas Mavericks a 97-94 victory over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night in Dallas that also clinched a playoff berth.

Dallas got in on the combination of the victory and Golden State losing to Denver. With three games left, the Mavericks have a 2-game edge on the Nuggets for the No. 7 seed.

Nowitzki scored 32 points for the second time in five games since returning from knee and ankle injuries. The victory wasn't sealed until Deron Williams, who banked in a tying 3-pointer with 5.8 seconds left, missed a long 3 with Nowitzki flying at him.

The Mavs have reached 50 wins and made the playoffs for eight straight seasons.

Nuggets 114, Warriors 105: Allen Iverson scored 33 points, J.R. Smith added 24 off the bench and visiting Denver took control of the race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with a victory over Golden State (47-32).

The win moved Denver (48-31) a full game ahead of the Warriors in the race for eighth place in the West with only three games remaining. The Nuggets also control the tiebreaker, meaning they can clinch their fifth straight playoff berth by winning two of their final three games.