Tuesday was a day of exhilaration and emotions and energy everywhere — except at the Pepsi Center, where for two quarters, the crowd was sleepy as W’s flight home and Chauncey Billups was 0-for-Inauguration Day.
Asked about the halftime locker room vibe, Nuggets coach George Karl said, “You didn’t really know how you’re going to win the game.”
They indeed beat Sacramento 118-99 and did so because of a rejuvenated Billups. Battling a back injury, Billups said the pain medication “kicked in” and his back “loosened up at halftime, and I was able to move and turn the corner.”
Confidently shooting jumpers in opponents’ frozen faces, the point guard totaled 16 points in the third quarter, a quarter that has given Denver trouble since Carmelo Anthony broke his hand. In four of the six games without Melo, Denver had scored its fewest points in the third. On Tuesday, the Nuggets outscored the Kings 37-28 in the third, and Denver led by 19 entering the fourth, which Billups spent resting on the bench.
“After halftime, I felt a lot better about the game and what we were able to do, because of what I was able to do,” said Billups, who finished with 22 points and eight assists in 29 minutes.
With the win against lowly Sacramento (10-32), the first-place Nuggets (28-15) ended a two-game losing skid and improved to 17-6 at home. Things just seem a whole lot easier when it’s Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes defending the low post rather than Dwight Howard and Yao Ming.
Denver’s two streakiest players — J.R. Smith and Linas Kleiza — each played splendidly, a rarity for the Nuggets, who often get an awesome night from one and an awful night from the other. Kleiza scored a season-high 27 points while attempting seven more shots than any other Nugget (11-for-17). He averages 10.6 points per game, but in the past four, with Anthony out, he has averaged 20.0.
And Smith played Billups-esque. Whether Smith was taking guys off the dribble to clear a passing lane or penetrating and dishing, he looked to pass more, and the Nuggets benefited from such unexpected generosity. Smith finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals.
“There’s nothing that that kid can’t do on the basketball court,” Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin said. “I’m proud of him.”
It was a peachy effort from both fellows, but Karl did point out that some of Kleiza’s defensive decisions were undesirable, and Smith did make some “interesting” passes, tallying a game-high six turnovers.
The Kings are not the Celtics, but you got to give the Nuggets credit for handling their business.
With Tuesday’s win, they are 16-1 in games against teams with records under .500 and are the lone team in the NBA with just one loss against such teams. And that one loss was at Golden State, when Denver didn’t have Allen Iverson or Billups, while the Nuggets were waiting for the trade to go through.
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
Nuggets Recap
What you might have missed
Kenyon Martin made a third-quarter 3-pointer, which makes him 13-for-23 in 2008-09 (56.5 percent). . . . Guard Anthony Carter had a team- high 10 assists and needed stitches to close a cut above his eye that he suffered in the game. . . . Chauncey Billups whipped a no-look, behind-the-back pass from the right wing to Renaldo Balkman in the paint, who made a layup. But the coolest play of the night belonged to Chris Andersen, who caught an alley-oop pass and, in one motion, dunked the ball backward with two hands.
Final thought
You’ve got to worry about Denver defending the 3-pointer — Sacramento was 11-for-22.
Up next
Sunday vs. Utah, 6 p.m.
Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post
