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Nuggets aim for fifth straight win

Apr 7, 2007 - 2:54 PM Denver (39-36) at LA Clippers (37-37) 10:30 pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) - After upending the league-leading Dallas Mavericks, Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets aim for their fifth straight win when they visit Los Angeles Clippers in a game filled with playoff implications.

Denver limited MVP candidate Dirk Nowitzki to just 9-of-23 from the floor in a 75-71 home victory over Dallas on Friday. It marked the first time this season that the Nuggets won at home when scoring less than 100 points.

Anthony scored 23 points and sealed the win by stealing Nowitzki's pass and hitting two free throws in the final seconds.

The Nuggets are one-half game behind the Los Angeles Lakers (40-36) for the Western Conference's sixth playoff spot. They are two games up on the Clippers for the seventh seed with seven games left.

The Clippers, who defeated the Nuggets in the first round last year, boast a three-game winning streak. Los Angeles is coming off a 90-82 win over the Lakers on Wednesday in which Corey Maggette scored 22 points.

Los Angeles has a one-game lead on Golden State (37-39) for the West's final playoff spot with eight games to play.

This is the final game of the season series. Each team has won once at home.