Washington - AFP
Chauncey Billups drained a game-winning three-pointer with just one second remaining as the Los Angeles Clippers edged the reigning NBA champion Dallas Mavericks 91-89. Billups, who is nicknamed Mr Big Shot, started the play with an inbound pass to Blake Griffin who dished it back to a wide-open Billups on the right side for last-second, three-point dagger. \"Big Shot. He relishes those moments,\" said Clippers point guard Mo Williams. The Clippers led for the entire fourth quarter before the lead changed hands twice in the final 10 seconds in front of a crowd of 19,252 at Staples Center arena. Dallas appeared to be headed to a victory after Mavericks guard Jason Terry nailed a three-pointer with five seconds left to give Dallas a one point lead, 89-88. But the Clipppers made the most of their next possession as Billups and Griffin worked the give-and-go to perfection. \"I thought Blake made a great read,\" Billups said. \"And I made a good shot. You play the world champs and you come out and you scrap and you claw and you come out with a win.\" Williams had a team-high 26 points and Griffin had 14 points for the Clippers, who beat the Mavericks for the first time in over three years, having lost against them 10 times in a row. It was the third game in as many nights for Los Angeles who also got 19 points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots from centre DeAndre Jordan. Germany\'s Dirk Nowitzki had 17 points and forward Shawn Marion finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks. The Clippers were playing without star point guard Chris Paul, who has been sidelined with a strained left hamstring, for a third straight game. This was the second heart-breaking loss in a row for the Mavericks at Staples Center. On Monday, Los Angeles Lakers Derek Fisher nailed a three-pointer with 3.1 seconds left for a 73-70 victory. Like Billups, Fisher has made a habit of hitting clutch game-winning shots throughout his NBA career. \"It was a great play we set up,\" Billups said. \"It got crazy at the end but we got the win.\"