DALLAS — Sometimes, when J.R. Smith gets in one of those zones, he will pop a 3-pointer and his buddies will say aloud, “Layup.”
Smith told this anecdote last week, when he was struggling a bit, and said, “Hopefully, I can get into the groove again.”
He got there Monday night.
Smith scored 17 points in the fourth quarter in Denver’s 98-88 win at Dallas.
With the Nuggets leading by just four points to begin the fourth quarter, Smith made a 3-pointer, two long-range 2-pointers, a layup and a free throw. Along with a couple of points from teammates, the Nuggets built a 89-73 with 8:23 left.
The Nuggets (17-7) are 16-4 with Chauncey Billups at the helm, and Billups, once again, was a key contributor to a victory — 15 points and a team-high eight assists.
After scoring 45 points against Minnesota and 27 in 30 minutes against Golden State, Carmelo Anthony scored 20 points in the first half but finished with just 23.
The win is important beyond the win column. It sets the tone in this demanding six-game stretch in which Denver plays at Houston tonight, followed by games against Cleveland, Phoenix and Portland twice.
The Mavericks (13-10) shot just 34.9 percent for the game and, amusingly enough, as fans left the arena, the loud speaker played the song “Cold As Ice.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
