Nuggets battle Suns in the desert

Denver is No. 7 in the Western Conference playoff race and just 1 1/2 games ahead of the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers. Phoenix has already clinched the Pacific and is the second seed, seven games behind the top-seeded and NBA- best Dallas Mavericks for the top spot in the West.

The Nuggets begin a tough three-game road trip. On Wednesday, J.R. Smith’s deep heave at the buzzer drew back iron, giving the Seattle SuperSonics a 100-97 victory over Denver at the Pepsi Center.

Carmelo Anthony poured in 28 points, Nene added 17 points and 13 boards and Allen Iverson netted 14 and handed out eight assists for Denver, which has dropped four of its last five games overall.

Denver is 16-17 on the road this season. The Nuggets are scheduled to visit Seattle on Sunday at KeyArena and the Lakers on Tuesday at the Staples Center.

The Suns also try to get back on the winning track, as they open a short two- game homestand. On Thursday, Jason Richardson scored a season-high 36 points and buried a franchise-record eight shots from beyond the arc, as Golden State held off a furious Phoenix comeback for a 124-119 victory at ORACLE Arena.

Leandro Barbosa had 27 points for the Suns, who have lost two of their last three games overall. Boris Diaw added 18 points and Amare Stoudemire contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds for Phoenix, which nearly rallied from a 25-point deficit late in the third quarter.

Phoenix is an impressive 29-7 at home this season. The Suns will host Josh Howard and the Mavericks on Sunday.

This is the third and final meeting of the season between the teams. The clubs split the first two contests, as the squads split a pair at the Pepsi Center.

Denver has lost four straight after winning its last two at Phoenix.