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 Wilson Chandler added 21 points for the Nuggets, who can secure the No. 3 seed in the West with one more victory or two losses by the Los Angeles Clippers.
Milwaukee lost its season-high fifth game in a row despite Monta Ellis scoring 38 points, one shy of his season high.
Ellis' four-point play with 14.2 seconds left gave the Bucks a 111-110 lead. Ellis, who had 19 fourth-quarter points, drilled a 3-pointer from the right side and made a free throw after he was fouled by Evan Fournier.
After a timeout, Lawson caught the inbounds pass in front of Milwaukee's bench. With Ellis guarding him, Lawson drove to his right and pulled up in the lane to hit his winning shot.
J.J. Reddick, who contributed 20 points for the Bucks, missed a 3-pointer from the center of the arc as time expired.
Milwaukee, which already had clinched the No. 8 spot in the East, finished with a 21-20 record at home.
Forward Kenneth Faried did not play because of the left ankle he sprained in Denver's victory over Portland on Sunday.
That didn't stop the Nuggets (56-25), who added to their franchise record for victories in a season by winning for the 22nd time in their last 25 games.
JaVale McGee came off the bench and finished with 17 rebounds and 10 points for Denver, which closes the regular season Wednesday when its hosts Phoenix. The Nuggets have won their last 22 games at home.
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Milwaukee is closing the regular season with no momentum at all. The team has just three victories in its last 15 games and will try to halt a nine-game road losing streak Wednesday at Oklahoma City.
John Henson had 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Bucks, who lost their fifth straight game to Denver.
Milwaukee held a one-point lead with about 1 minute left when Ersan Ilyasova grabbed a rebound off a missed shot by Andre Miller, but he lost the ball out of bounds.
Denver capitalized with a basket by Andre Iguodala for a 108-107 lead with 52 seconds remaining.
Mike Dunleavy missed a shot and Miller's two free throws gave the Nuggets a 110-107 lead with 25.4 seconds left.
Earlier in the quarter, Denver held a 98-92 lead when Ellis scored eight points in a row. He drilled a 3-pointer, a jump shot and then another 3-pointer to give Milwaukee a 100-98 lead with 4:30 to go.
A slam dunk along the baseline by Ekpe Udoh with 9:20 left gave Milwaukee an 87-86 lead, its first since early in the first quarter.
NOTES: An MRI exam Monday morning revealed that Faried sprained a ligament. Faried, who averages 11.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, also will miss the final game of the regular season and will be listed as day-to-day for the playoffs. . Center Larry Sanders missed his third game in a row for the Bucks with a sore lower back.
[Associated
Press; By DAVE BOEHLER]
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