Denver (5-4) was 1-3 before Billups took the court for his second stint with his hometown team after being part of a blockbuster trade on Nov. 3 that sent Allen Iverson to Detroit.

With Billups, the Nuggets are 4-1 and looking to build off a 94-85 win over defending NBA champion Boston to conclude a 2-1 road trip.

He had 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting and seven assists as Denver shot a season-high 48.8 percent from the field. Billups is averaging 18.2 points and 6.2 assists for the Nuggets.

"It's a huge win," said Billups, who scored 25 points in two games with the Pistons this season. "These are the kind of games where you learn a lot about your teammates and how mentally tough and strong they are. Needless to say, I'm happy with the way this game turned out."

Carmelo Anthony had 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Nuggets, who have become a better defensive team since adding Billups, allowing 94.0 points per game in their last five after giving up 104.0 per contest in its first four.

"You see the difference in this team with Chauncey, the talking, and the activity and him directing on both offense and defense," Boston's Kevin Garnett said.

Anthony, averaging a team-high 22.0 points, is coming off his first double-double of the season. He only has two during his career against Minnesota, but is averaging 29.0 points on 47.7 percent shooting in his last 10 games versus the Timberwolves.

Denver, trying for its fourth straight home win over the Timberwolves, lost 99-94 on Feb. 14, 2007 for its most recent loss to Minnesota.

The Timberwolves (1-7) lost 88-83 to Portland on Saturday to remain winless since beating Sacramento 98-96 at home to open the season on Oct. 29.

Al Jefferson had 26 points and six rebounds for Minnesota, which led by 12 with 5 1/2 minutes to play in the third quarter, but let a double-digit lead slip away for the fourth time this season.

Five of the Timberwolves' last six losses have been by five points or less.

"It's like groundhog day," said Minnesota coach Randy Wittman, who felt his team was hampered by some selfish play as they were outscored 23-12 in the fourth quarter. "When I have to substitute because guys don't want to play the right way, we're not going to win close games. That's going to come back to bite you every time."

Jefferson, the Timberwolves' leader with 22.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, is averaging 22.0 and 15.5 in his last two games versus Denver.