Chauncey Billups stood by himself at halfcourt — hands on his knees — and then walked toward the free-throw line with the game on the line. Mr. Big Shot hit both free throws with 2.2 seconds left, and the Nuggets snatched a victory from the Dallas Mavericks, 99-97 on Tuesday night at the Pepsi Center.
The Nuggets led by as many as 17 points in the third quarter, but the Mavs stormed back, making it an airtight affair.
With the win against Dallas (22-16), the Nuggets (26-13) are two games ahead of Portland in the Northwest Division.
Billups finished with 23 points and went a perfect 9-for-9 at the line, while Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki was clearly the best player on the court, finishing with 44 points and 14 rebounds.
Nuggets reserve Chris Andersen came up big. In the first half, he scored 10 points with five rebounds and two blocks, including one on Brandon Bass that made him look like Stretch Armstrong. Andersen finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds and made a 47-foot shot to beat the third-quarter buzzer.
