In their first 10 weeks together, Nuggets coach George Karl and point guard Chauncey Billups generally operated on the same wavelength.

The signals got scrambled a bit in Friday night's loss to the Detroit Pistons, prompting a short meeting of the minds during practice Sunday.

"We did talk about it. I think it was just a 'feel' thing," Billups said. "I kind of had it going and I really kind of was the only one that had it going. I was just trying to make plays and trying to win a game. That's all it is."

Billups scored 20 of his 30 points in the first half against his former team, but the Nuggets let the Pistons back into the game by continually settling for jump shots in the third quarter.

In one 72-second stretch, Billups missed two long jumpers and a layup. Nene, Kenyon Martin and Linas Kleiza combined to miss five shots from 19 feet or more in the first 6:21 of the third.

"We had good control of the game and I thought our shot selection took that control away," Karl said. "I don't think it's something I'm worried about."

The Nuggets also struggled with their half-court offense in the game's final minutes, something that rarely has been a problem since Billups was acquired on Nov. 3.

The absence of Carmelo Anthony didn't help. Anthony is expected to miss at least six more games while recovering from a broken bone in his right (shooting) hand.

"Most of the time, we're able to play slow (late in) the game because we've got a guy like Melo that can make shots and get double-teams," Billups said. "(Friday) there's not a lot of people rolling with the exception of myself, so once they crowd me and get it out of my hands, it made it kind of tough."