Up by five at the half, the Spurs took a 93-90 lead into the fourth quarter and stretched it to 98-91. That's when the Nuggets countered with an 11-0 flurry that put them in front 102-98 for their first lead since the game's opening moments. Al Harrington had 3-pointers to start and finish the flurry.
The Spurs were playing their first game since losing Tim Duncan indefinitely to an ankle sprain. Rookie center Tiago Splitter got the start in place of Duncan and had a quiet night, scoring 4 points and remaining on the bench after picking up his fourth foul in the third quarter.
In Boston, Memphis held on for a vital win over Boston, which missed a late opportunity to send the game to overtime and move back to the top of the NBA's Eastern Conference.
Memphis' Marc Gasol stole the ball and hit a layup with just over a minute left to put Memphis ahead 88-85. He missed a pair of free throws with 4.6 seconds left, giving Boston a chance to draw level, but Paul Pierce missed an off-balance 3-pointer that would have tied the scores.
Gasol scored 11 points with 11 rebounds and Zach Randolph had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Grizzlies, who solidified their hold on the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. Memphis is just half a game behind seventh-placed New Orleans.
Pierce scored 22 for Boston, which missed a chance to move into a tie with Chicago for best record in the East.
In Oklahoma City, the hosts dropped a depleted Utah team below .500 for the first time since early November.
Russell Westbrook scored 31 points and Kevin Durant added 29 for the Thunder.
The Jazz played without starting point guard Devin Harris because of a strained hamstring, and Andrei Kirilenko sat out the second half after bruising a nerve in a knee. That proved to be too much to overcome.
Al Jefferson had 32 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Jazz, who dropped four games behind Memphis for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with 10 games left.
In New York, Orlando made it four straight wins by stretching its dominance of New York.
Dwight Howard had 33 points and 11 rebounds, while Jameer Nelson added 19 points for the Magic, who held Amare Stoudemire to his worst game this season and beat the Knicks for the sixth straight time.
Carmelo Anthony had 24 points for the Knicks (35-36), who trailed by only a point after three quarters but fell below .500 for the first time since Nov. 27.
In Philadelphia, the home team went on a 25-6 run to open the fourth quarter, turning the game and beating Atlanta.
Lou Williams scored 17 points while Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young each had 16 for the 76ers. Williams and Young keyed the Sixers' rally off the bench in the fourth.
Philadelphia was down 10 late in the third quarter before an 11-0 run early in the fourth fueled the comeback.
Josh Smith had 33 points and 12 rebounds for the slumping Hawks. Smith's 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds left pulled the Hawks within three but Iguodala hit two free throws to clinch the win.
In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Dwyane Wade scored 24 points to help Miami rally for a win over Detroit.
Chris Bosh had 23 points for Miami, which has won six of seven.
The Heat trailed by 11 late in the third quarter before Mike Miller made a 3-pointer in the final seconds. Miami then scored the first 15 points of the fourth to take an 88-81 lead.
Detroit had the ball down by four in the final minute, but Greg Monroe missed a layup, forcing the Pistons to foul.
Richard Hamilton led Detroit with 27 points.
In Houston, Kevin Martin scored 34 points to power Houston to a fifth straight win, defeating Golden State.
Chuck Hayes got his first career triple-double, notching 14 rebounds, 13 points and 11 assists for the Rockets, who remained two games behind Memphis for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Dorell Wright had 34 points for the Warriors.
In Charlotte, Indiana overcame Charlotte to create some breathing room over one of their closest competitors for the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot.
Danny Granger scored 33 points and Tyler Hansbrough added 24 points for the Pacers, who moved three games ahead of Charlotte for eighth place.
The Pacers turned a 12-point, second-quarter deficit into a rout behind the hot-shooting Granger, who scored 25 points in a 16-minute stretch bridging the second and third periods.
D.J. Augustin scored 17 points for the Bobcats, who lost all four games against Indiana this season.
In Phoenix, the hosts rallied from a 13-point third-quarter deficit to beat Toronto.
Aaron Brooks energized a tired, ailing Phoenix team with 25 points and hit the biggest shot of the game, a 3-pointer from the left corner with 54.9 seconds left to play that gave the Suns a 110-105 lead.
The Suns, playing the second of back-to-back set games only about 20 hours after a triple-overtime road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, struggled with their shooting until late in the game and played shorthanded throughout.
In Milwaukee, Sacramento put a severe dent in Milwaukee's fading playoff hopes.
Marcus Thornton scored 27 points and Beno Udrih added 25 as the Kings bounced back from a 40-point annihilation by Chicago on Monday; their heaviest in two years.
Milwaukee fell three games behind Indiana for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference with 12 left to play.
Milwaukee's Carlos Delfino scored 30 points for the second consecutive game to again match his career high, but had 22 of them in the first half.
In Los Angeles, Blake Griffin posted his first career triple-double to help Los Angeles defeat Washington in double overtime.
Griffin finished with 33 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists, Eric Gordon had 32 points and Randy Foye hit a clinching 3-pointer in the final minute for the Clippers.
Wizards guard John Wall tied it with 19 seconds left, and Griffin missed a 3-point attempt at the other end with a second on the clock. Eric Gordon sent it into a second OT for the Clippers with a 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left.
Wall led Washington with 32 points and 10 assists.
In Cleveland, New Jersey scraped only its fifth road win of the season by edging Cleveland in overtime in a match of two teams winding down miserable seasons.
Kris Humphries grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds and made several big plays in overtime, while Jordan Farmar's two free throws with 3.8 seconds left helped seal it for the Nets, who snapped a four-game losing streak.
Ramon Sessions for the Cavaliers, who have lost seven in a row at home.
