He appears to move slow even when he's hustling in the middle of a breakneck fast break.

Chill.

Now, the coolest dude to walk into any gym has the Denver Nuggets cooking as one of the hottest teams in the NBA as they face the Rockets tonight.

After their 98-88 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night, the team that squeaked into the playoffs last season as the No. 8 seed trails only the L.A. Lakers with the second-best record in the Western Conference at 17-7.

One could point to Carmelo Anthony's growth, Kenyon Martin's resurgence or Nen?'s renewed good health. But nothing has changed the Nuggets from a collection of talent into a possible contender more than the blockbuster Nov. 3 trade that essentially swapped All-Star Allen Iverson to the Detroit Pistons for All-Star Billups.

"He's a leader," said Nuggets coach George Karl. "He has a presence that I think is great because basically there's a simplicity to him. He does things the right way.

"He acts the right way as a professional. He acts the right way as a teammate. He acts the right way as a defensive player. There's no nonsense to his attitude."

Those were the attributes the Nuggets needed most after running through a handful of seasons as unbridled stallions who ran wild and broke down in the playoffs. Now there is a sense of purpose - on the court and in the locker room. Billups is averaging a career-high 18.8 points to go with 7.1 assists, and the Nuggets are 16-4 since he joined them.

Perfect matchup

"I think it's a match that was perfectly made," Billups said. "The things that I'm good at, I think this team needed. For myself to play with a young, athletic team was also great for me. I really can't explain it. I'm just happy we've been able to have the success.

"I think the Lakers probably are the best team in the West right now. They probably are the most polished team. Then I think four or five teams are in a bunch. I think we're in that pack. Our goal is to jump out of that pack at some point."

The reins of leadership practically fell into his hands.

"It kind of just happens," he said. "You go out and play extremely hard, and you do the things that you've always done and hope that it's appreciated.?But it's not just one-sided. I appreciate the way they play, the heart and athleticism these guys have."

What the Nuggets have come to embrace is the no-wasted-motion approach of Billups, who knows what he wants to do and does it.

"When you put Chauncey in a play, the effectiveness of the play is so much higher," Karl said. "That doesn't mean you score every time, but you get a good shot. You don't get a turnover. You get a trick. You get a foul. The efficiency of his actions 5-on-5, he's one of the best in the league."

Even with the nonpareil Anthony free and able to go off for an NBA record-tying 33 points in one quarter - including 26 in a row - as he did last week against Minnesota, there is room for Billups to show that he can be more than just a cog in the Pistons' machine that went to five straight Eastern Conference finals and won an NBA championship. Even with the MVP trophy from the 2004 Finals, Billups might have been underrated until now.

Not just a system guy

"It's a different style for me, and I'm looking for the opportunity to show people that I'm not a ?system' guy," Billups said.

In his first game with the Nuggets, on Nov. 7 against Dallas, Billups shot 5-for-17. In his next two games, he shot 2-for-13 and 4-for-12. But Denver won all three. He had a season-high 28 points and popped in four 3-pointers to beat the Rockets on Nov. 30.

"My recollection is that the first two or three games I loved him and he was shooting like 25 percent," Karl said. "He was 2-for-13, and I didn't even know he was 2-for-13. It's just his efficiency and commitment to winning."

Smooth.

...

Rockets UPDATE

Saturday : Clippers 95, Rockets 82.

Record: 15-9.

Today: Denver at Toyota Center, 7:30 p.m.

TV/radio: FSH; 610 AM, 850 AM (Spanish).

...

INJURY UPDATE

OUT

Rafer Alston

Strained left hamstring

OUT

BRENT BARRY

Torn leg muscle

IN

AARON BROOKS

Starts in Alston's place

Maybe

RON ARTEST

Nursing sore ankle