Early in the third quarter Wednesday night, Chauncey Billups ambled toward the Nuggets’ locker room, yanked his jersey out of his shorts, peered up at his parents in the Pepsi Center stands and just shrugged his shoulders in frustration.
Billups suffered a strained left groin during the Nuggets’ 111-101 victory over the Rockets, and Denver’s homegrown point guard did not return to the game. It was unclear whether he will play in Denver’s next game, Friday at New Orleans.
Against the Rockets, Billups had been playing one of his better games of the season — or at least one of his better halves. In the first two quarters, Billups scored 15 points and hit 5-of-7 shots, including two 3-pointers. He also had three assists and a steal, as Denver led 58-51 at halftime.
The Nuggets persevered at the Pepsi Center without their top point guard. Houston kept it close for most of the third quarter, but in the final two minutes, Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith hit consecutive 3-pointers and Denver suddenly had an eight-point cushion. Then Denver pulled away with a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.
Anthony entered Wednesday averaging an NBA-high 30.4 points per game, and he padded that number slightly with a 38-point performance.
