After one quarter of play, the Denver Nuggets held a 33-19 lead over the Dallas Mavericks, but at halftime their lead was reduced to one point, 59-58. The Mavs outscored the Nuggets 39-26 in the second quarter.
Chauncey Billups had 18 points in the first quarter, but added only four more points for 22 total. Additionally, he has dished out the ball five times, pulled down four boards and made three steals. Carmelo Anthony scored 11 of his 17 points in the second quarter. Nene, who has recently been the subject of trade rumors scored six points and grabbed five boards. Ty Lawson and Chris Andersen combined to score seven points off the bench.
For the Mavericks, Tyson Chandler leads his team's starters with 12 points and five rebounds. The bench has scored 33 of the team's 58 points. Point guard Jose Juan Barea has 12 of those 33 points.
Both teams are shooting at least 50 percent from the field, but do the Mavericks have momentum in their favor? Twenty-four minutes left to play. . . .