The Dallas Mavericks are undefeated when playing without Dirk Nowitzki this season, but they hope that record doesn't get challenged again.

Expecting Nowitzki to return from a one-game absence, the Mavericks could have a shot to clinch the league's best record in a visit to the Denver Nuggets on Friday.

If Phoenix loses earlier in the night to New Orleans, Dallas (62-12) will wrap up the top seed in the Western Conference and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs with a win over the Nuggets.

With Nowitzki sidelined by food poisoning on Tuesday, Dallas beat Sacramento 97-93 behind Josh Howard's 29 points and Jason Terry's 27.

It was the Mavericks' second victory in as many games this season without their MVP candidate. They also won 89-85 at Denver on Dec. 31 when Nowitzki sat out with a sinus infection.

"It wasn't so much guys stepping up, we have guys that do that all the time even when Dirk is here," said Jerry Stackhouse, who added 23 points, five rebounds and five assists off the bench Tuesday.

While bouncing back from a loss to Phoenix to win for the 10th time in 11 games, Dallas kept alive its chances to join the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls as the only teams in NBA history to win 70 games. The Mavs would have to win each of their final eight games to do it.

Coach Avery Johnson, though, has his team focused on goals beyond the regular season.

"We just want to go into playoffs mentally and physically healthy," Johnson said.

Dallas will be taking on a Denver team that has won three straight after dropping five of six.

The Nuggets (38-36) also are coming off a win over Sacramento, 120-115 on Wednesday.

Carmelo Anthony delivered another solid performance with 31 points, his fourth straight game to crack the 30-point barrier. Anthony topped 30 in six straight games on two occasions earlier this season to tie the franchise record.

As impressive as Anthony has been, the success of Nene could be the key to the Nuggets' playoff push. He had a career-high 28 points and 12 rebounds against Sacramento, and is averaging 18.1 points and 9.9 boards over his last seven games while holding his own as a defensive stopper.

"He's good. I think as much as I enjoy him offensively, defensively he is becoming a pretty consistent factor," coach George Karl said. "He's been covering the best player on the front line and he and Marcus (Camby) are getting in a good comfort zone and protecting the basket better than we did earlier in the season."

The Nuggets' win streak has them within a half-game of the struggling Los Angeles Lakers for sixth place in the Western Conference with eight games left in Denver's regular season.

"You've been watching this team all year long," Karl said. "When we pass, play together, and play defense we're good."

The Nuggets will have a chance to prove that against a Mavericks team that has won eight of the last nine games in the series, including four straight.

Dallas has a 3-0 edge in the season series heading into Friday's finale. Nowitzki had 31 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists as the Mavericks overcame Anthony's 34 points in a 115-95 win on Feb. 24.