Denver, CO (Sportsbooks) - Chauncey Billups scored 28 points -- including 24 in the second half -- and dished out 10 assists to lead the
Denver Nuggets to a 104-94 victory over the shorthanded
Houston Rockets.
Houston was without Tracy McGrady (knee) and Brent Barry (calf) for the second consecutive game. Denver had its own injury problems, as Carmelo Anthony left after the first half with a right elbow contusion.
J.R. Smith drained 5-of-9 three-pointers en route to 19 points on the night -- including 13 in the second quarter for Denver, which has won four of five. Nene had 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Kenyon Martin tallied 15 points in the win, Denver's eighth in 10 games.
"(Smith) is a good/bad player, and we are trying to take the bad out and magnify the good," Nuggets head coach George Karl said. "Defensively we have an attitude at the end of games that people aren't going to score on us."
Yao Ming scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Rockets, which had a four-game road winning streak snapped. Ron Artest posted 13 points and six blocked shots, while Rafer Alston contributed 16 points and six assists in the loss. Luther Head, a night after scoring 21 in a win over the Spurs, scored only three points on 1-of-7 shooting in the loss.
"You have to give Billups credit, he took the game over and hit some big shots," Rockets head coach Rick Adelman said. "I was not unhappy with our effort tonight, we played hard but just need to get back home and better."
Nene and Yao each scored six points in the first quarter, and both teams played to a 21-21 tie after the opening 12 minutes.
Aaron Brooks scored nine points for Houston in the second, but Nene added seven more points for Denver to stake the Nuggets to a 48-44 halftime cushion.
Denver pushed its lead to nine thanks to a 7-0 run early in the third, and Billups' three midway through the quarter gave the Nuggets a 72-58 lead. The hosts maintained their lead, and took a 78-68 edge to the fourth.
Head's three-pointer got the Rockets to within seven with 8:18 to play, but Nene's dunk with just over five minutes left gave Denver an 11-point lead at 97-86.
Carl Landry's dunk with 7:28 left brought Houston to within five at 89-84, but the Rockets never got closer than that, and Denver went on to post the victory.
Game Notes
Brooks scored 15 points...Denver also plays Toronto and San Antonio on its homestand...Denver has beaten Houston in three of four meetings...Landry had 14 points...Anthony is listed as day-to-day, but his two total points snapped a 221-game streak where he scored at least 10 points.
