(Reuters) – 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.
