Based on Chauncey Billups' play for the Toronto Raptors and Denver Nuggets during his tumultuous early career, it didn't seem he'd last too long in the NBA.

Twelve years later, the three-time All-Star is doing just fine - and the Nuggets are thrilled to have him back.

Since being reacquired last month, Billups has been the spark that's led Denver, which will look for its fifth win in six games on Tuesday against the visiting Toronto Raptors.

Billups lasted 51 games in Boston, 29 in Toronto and 58 in Denver from 1997-98 until he signed with Minnesota prior to the 2000-01 season. During the first three years of his career, he averaged 11.8 points on just 37.5 percent shooting.

He became a better player in Minnesota and then a star in Detroit, where he took the Pistons to six consecutive Eastern Conference finals and won an NBA finals MVP.

With Allen Iverson's welcome worn out, the Nuggets (12-6) took a chance in trading for Billups last month, and the Denver native has given his hometown team a major boost. Just 1-3 before he joined the lineup, Billups has led the Nuggets to an 11-3 record.

He hasn't just been a distributor despite having Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin, J.R. Smith and Nene in the lineup around him. Billups had a team-high 27 points in a win at Minnesota on Saturday, then had a season-high 28 points and 10 assists Sunday in a 104-94 win over Houston after Anthony left with an elbow injury.

"We just have somebody on the court who loves winning and knows game situations and controls the game,'' Martin said. "It's great having him. I told him right after the game, 'I appreciate you being here.'"

Billups is averaging 18.6 points and 6.7 assists in 14 games with the Nuggets.

Anthony has a right elbow contusion that's bothered him since training camp, and the pain came to a head Sunday, when he took himself out after 14 minutes.

"I couldn't even dribble the basketball," he said. "I tried to lift my son up after the game and I couldn't even do that."

Anthony, who's averaging 24.6 points in 10 career games against Toronto (8-8), says he plans to play Tuesday unless the Nuggets say he can't.

Anthony was the third overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft, and won a gold medal this summer in Beijing with fellow top-five picks Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Anthony is averaging 19.9 points thus far, but his Olympic teammates are the top three scorers in the league.

Despite Bosh's excellence - he averaged 30.9 points and 10.5 rebounds from Nov. 12-28 - he's coming off a rare shaky offensive performance. Bosh shot 4-of-13 and had 12 points Sunday in a 112-99 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

"I know that good teams are not going to let me just get off offensively,'' Bosh said. "They did a great job of trapping and their rotations were really good. I didn't get too many good shots all night and I made some costly turnovers.''

Billups will have his hands full with Jose Calderon, one of the league's quickest point guards. Despite seeing his shooting percentage decline from 51.9 percent to 44.5 percent so far in 2008-09, Calderon leads the East with 9.6 assists per game and he leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (5-to-1).

Calderon also hasn't missed a free throw (43-for-43) this season.

Toronto lost 137-105 in its last trip to Denver on March 14 - a game Bosh missed - and has lost four straight at Pepsi Center.