Sports / NBA Denver Beats Golden State AI leads the Nuggets closer to playoffs with 33 points By Jamie Buss, Newser Staff Posted Apr 11, 2008 12:46 AM CDT Copied Denver Nuggets' Anthony Carter, right, goes up for a basket against Golden State Warriors' Baron Davis (5) during the first half of their NBA basketball game last night in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) Allen Iverson scored 33 points, J.R. Smith added 24 off the bench and the Denver Nuggets took control of the race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with a 114-105 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night. The win moved Denver a game ahead of the Warriors for eighth place in the West with only three games remaining. The Nuggets also control the tiebreaker, meaning they can clinch their fifth straight playoff berth by winning two of their final three games. Golden State (47-32) probably will need to win its final three games and hope Denver loses twice. The Warriors have not won back-to-back games since taking three in a row March 7-12 and have lost nine of their last 16. (More NBA stories.) Report an error