The undersized Denver Nuggets made a concerted effort to contain Dirk Nowitzki. In the end, it was Caron Butler who came up with the biggest shot for the Dallas Mavericks. Nowitzki scored a season-high 35 points and Butler hit a pivotal 3-pointer late in the game, helping the Mavericks hold off a Nuggets squad missing center Nene 102-101 on Wednesday night. "It comes down to one possession either way: You're going to walk out of here feeling great or terrible," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. Butler, who finished with 16 points, did his best to make sure Dallas didn't deal with dejection. He caught the ball in the corner and hardly hesitated before releasing a 3-pointer with 2 minutes remaining to give the Mavericks a 102-99 lead. The Mavs made it hold up. Read more: http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=301103007