Billups Hits Game-Winner Against Mavs
Chauncey Billups delivered on his reputation as Mr Big Shot with a game-winning three-pointer with one second remaining to give the Los Angeles Clippers a 91-89 home victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.
In a wild final minute that saw the Mavericks erase a five-point deficit on a pair of three-pointers from Jason Terry, Billups responded to help the Clippers see off the defending champions even without injured point guard Chris Paul.
A former Finals MVP known for rising to the occasion at key moments, Billups took a handoff from Blake Griffin on his team's final possession and drained the winner.
It was a great play, Billups told reporters after finishing with 21 points and eight rebounds. It's a great win for us in our third game in three days. It got a little crazy at the end but we got the win.
Terry had given Dallas the one-point lead on a three-pointer with five seconds to play.
The Mavericks had a final inbounds chance but could not convert a lob as they lost their second straight game on a final-second shot after falling to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.
Paul sat out a third game with a hamstring injury, but Mo Williams came up big with a team-high 26 off the bench for the Clippers (8-4), who were coming off a painful 29-point defeat to Utah.
I'm proud of the guys and the way we battled back and fought, Los Angeles coach Vinny Del Negro said. We made plays when we needed to and that was the key.
DeAndre Jordan added 19 and Griffin tallied 14 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists.
Dirk Nowitzki and Delonte West had 17 apiece for Dallas (8-7).
© Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024. All rights reserved.