Indianapolis ? George Karl figured there only was one option when the Denver Nuggets needed a last-second shot Wednesday night – Carmelo Anthony.

With Anthony playing the way he has in March, why consider anyone else?

So Karl did the obvious thing after calling timeout with 18.6 seconds left. He called for Anthony to isolate himself on the right side and back away from a defender. Anthony executed the play perfectly, hitting an 18-foot fadeaway with 2.2 seconds left to give the Nuggets a 101-99 victory at Indiana.

“He’s a special guy, he was almost perfect tonight,” Karl said. “If he misses, we probably get the tip-in anyway.”

For Karl, there wasn’t even a second thought.

Although Andre Miller was effective, scoring 21 and handing out nine assists, and Marcus Camby and Ruben Patterson both scored in double figures, Anthony has simply been too good lately.

Denver's Carmelo Anthony reacts to hitting the game-winning shot against Indiana with 2.2 seconds remaining. Anthony scored 31 points in the Nuggets' 101-99 victory Wednesday night in Indianapolis.

He entered the game averaging more than 29 points and connecting on more than 58 percent of his shots in March, and delivered in a similar fashion Wednesday.

He shot 12-of-25, finished with 31 points – his third straight game topping 30 – and was flawless on the final play as Denver (37-29) improved to 4-1 on its seven-game road trip.

“All I needed was a little bit of space,” Anthony said. “I was taking the jumper. They gave me a little space and I took the shot.”

The Pacers (32-30) struggled again in the first half, falling into a deep deficit in the game’s opening six minutes.

Suns 126, Clippers 95

Phoenix – Steve Nash was 9-of-11 from the floor and had 25 points and 12 assists before sitting out the fourth quarter as Phoenix routed Los Angeles. The Suns made 16 three-pointers, three shy of the franchise record, in 31 attempts. Nash was 6-of-8 on threes.

Mavericks 95, Rockets 81

Houston – Dirk Nowitzki had 30 points and 11 rebounds, Jason Terry added 19 points, and Dallas beat Houston.

Pistons 105, Raptors 98

Toronto – Chauncey Billups had 26 points and 10 assists, and Tayshaun Prince added 21 points to lead Detroit. The Pistons shot 10-for-14 from beyond the three-point arc – a season-high 71 percent.

Bucks 104, Bulls 88

Milwaukee – Bobby Simmons scored 26 points, going 9-of-13 from the field, and Michael Redd added 23 to lead Milwaukee over Chicago. The Bucks (32-32) got back to .500 for the first time since March 1 and split the season series with Chicago (29-36).

Nets 78, Blazers 65

East Rutherford, N.J. – Vince Carter scored 26, Richard Jefferson had 22, and New Jersey held Portland to a team-record-low five points in the fourth quarter. Nenad Krstic added 20 points as the Nets extended their winning streak to three. They did it without a single point from Jason Kidd, who did have six rebounds and seven assists.

Knicks 121, Hawks 117, 2OT

New York – Nate Robinson scored five of his 18 points in the second overtime while Stephon Marbury and the rest of the starters watched from the bench, and New York beat Atlanta. Jamal Crawford led New York with 21 points, and Qyntel Woods added 18, going 8-for-8 from the field.

Magic 114, Jazz 108, OT

Orlando, Fla. – Jameer Nelson scored 25, four in overtime, and added nine assists as Orlando beat Utah. Nelson made a 20-foot jumper from the corner with 27 seconds left that put Orlando up 110-107.

Wizards 107, Bobcats 99

Washington – Gilbert Arenas scored 12 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, and Washington swept a home-and-home series from Charlotte. Antawn Jamison scored 20, and Caron Butler had 18 for Washington, which has won three straight and completes the season series with Charlotte with a 3-1 record.