Nikola Jokic notched up 35 points as the Denver Nuggets beat Minnesota Timberwolves 115-112 in the Western Conference on Tuesday.
Serbian star ensured Denver crossed the finishing line after Minnesota had reduced an 18-point second-quarter deficit against the defending NBA champions.
Minnesota, who were without the services of the injured Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, had a chance to force overtime but Anthony Edwards' three-point last-gasp attempt bounced off the rim.
Denver are now in second place in the Western Conference with a 48-21 record.
Oklahoma City Thunder are at the top of the table with a 47-20 record while Minnesota are third at 47-22.
The Timberwolves made a grand comeback in the game after they outscored Denver 29-17 in the third quarter, courtesy 14 points from Edwards, who ended up with 30 on the night.
But Denver made defensive changes which slowed Edwards' scoring rate in the fourth quarter.
"We threw an extra body at him," Denver coach Michael Malone said of his fourth-quarter tactical tweak to stymie Edwards.
"One guy trying to guard Anthony Edwards is a challenge for anyone in the NBA so we started throwing bodies at him to get the ball out of his hands."
Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving bagged 28 points while Luka Doncic registered his 18th triple double of the season as the Dallas Mavericks defeated San Antonio Spurs 113-107 in a Texas derby.
Dallas, 40-29, are now in seventh place in the Western Conference, just outside the automatic playoff places.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd admitted his side were not at their best despite winning.
"It does count as a W. Not all wins are pretty," Kidd said. "We relied on our defense to help us get this win."
