On a night when the shooting sent the game back to the days of peach baskets, it was amusing that the one time a player actually tried to miss a shot, it went in. Such was the case in the Nuggets’ 99-97 home win against Dallas. After making the go-ahead free throw with 2.2 seconds left, Chauncey Billups tried to miss the second, so Dallas would have to scramble to even get the ball back, much less a desperation shot.
“But he made it,” Denver coach George Karl said. “But that’s how good a free-throw shooter he is — when he tries to miss, he makes.”
Jason Kidd’s bad pass sealed Dallas’ fate at the buzzer, and the Nuggets sprinted off the court with a win after trailing by four with just 1:32 left. It was u-g-l-y, but a win is a win, and this one was big, securing the tiebreaker against the Mavericks (22-16), if it comes into play for the playoffs.
On Tuesday, it was debatable which team shot worse. Statistically, Denver finished with 42.3 percent from the field and Dallas shot 41.2. But the Nuggets were just 4-for-15 from 3-point range (26.7 percent), including an 0-for-4 night, courtesy of Linas Kleiza. Dallas, meanwhile, was 7-for-23 (30.4) in 3s.
“I don’t think all the wins are going to be pretty,” said Karl, whose Nuggets (26-13) moved two games ahead of Portland in the Northwest Division. “But the sign of a good team is winning when you’re short-handed and not playing your best basketball.”
The Nuggets won without the injured Carmelo Anthony, without Kenyon Martin contributing offensively and with their two key gunslingers shooting blanks.
Before the game, Karl was asked if J.R. Smith was starting for Anthony.
“I think he’s starting for L.K.,” Karl said, in reference to Kleiza, who had previously started for Anthony, but scored just one point in the last game.
Sure enough, Smith started — but started the game 0-for-9. His first basket came in the fourth quarter, and he finished the night 1-for-14 for two points. Kleiza wasn’t much better — 1-for-6 for five.
Smith did finish with a team-high seven assists and five rebounds, too.
“J.R. was our best plus-minus guy tonight,” Karl said of plus-seven Smith. “But his decisions not only drive me crazy, but I’m sure they drive you all (in the media) crazy. But they’ve got to be tolerated because he’s talented.”
Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki scored 44 points, but the night belonged to Birdman. The Nuggets’ Chris Andersen played 21 minutes, scoring season-high 15 points and adding 10 rebounds, as well as three steals and two blocks.
“He kept us in the game with all those hustle rebounds and second shots,” said reserve guard Anthony Carter, who scored 13 points.
Andersen was versatile, making a rim-rattling dunk and a 17-foot jumper, grabbing two offensive rebounds on one possession, disrupting two Nowitzki 3-point attempts and banking a 47-foot 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer.
Benjamin Hochman:
303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
Dirk’s double
Some of the interesting numbers Tuesday night:
44, 14 Points and rebounds for Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki
15, 10 Points and rebounds for reserve Chris Andersen
13 Misses by J.R. Smith on 14 shots
Nuggets Recap
What you might have missed
Nuggets coach George Karl said that Mavericks owner Mark Cuban yelled at J.R. Smith at halftime about an “elbow situation.”
“I don’t care if Cuban barks, but he shouldn’t be barking at my players,” Karl said. . . .
Karl said the Nuggets made 25 layups in the first half and six in the second. “And I don’t think I said, ‘Stop shooting layups.'” . . .
On Denver’s Chauncey Billups shot attempt with 2.2 seconds left, which sent him to the line, Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki said: “There were some tough calls, Chauncey just hung up in the air and had nowhere to go and kicked his legs out and gets the call. It’s frustrating.”
Final thought
Nene and Dahntay Jones stepped up offensively, Anthony Carter and Chris Andersen did so defensively, and the Nuggets won against a good team, regardless of the shooting percentages.
Up next
Thursday vs. Phoenix, 8:30 p.m.
Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post
