Nuggets' bench saves the day in win over Wizards

The Nuggets’ bench is rock solid, but in recent weeks, the impact they’ve made has been inconsistent as Denver fiddled with inserting Isaiah Thomas as a regular and Michael Malone pared his rotation down. But in the last few games, Thomas has, save for a first-half stint in Boston, not gotten minutes, and Malone has settled on four reserve contributors: Monte Morris, Mason Plumlee, Malik Beasley and Torrey Craig.

That seems to be a winning formula.

That foursome played key roles in helping Denver stop a huge Washington run in the third quarter, retake the lead in the fourth and roll to a 113-108 win Thursday. Morris scored 11 points and handed out four assists. Beasley connected on a pair of 3s and chipped in with 10. Craig, a plus-19 in 25 minutes, had 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting. His fingerprints were all over the game again as Denver scored its fifth win in a row.

The Nuggets built up a 14-point early in the third quarter, but the Wizards ripped off a 26-5 run that allowed them to get back into it. Denver’s bench mob stopped the bleeding with a 10-0 run to end the third.

Morris, Craig and Beasley in particular saved the starters’ bacon. Craig locked up Bradley Beal in the second half. He stole the ball from Beal with 2:30 remaining, and his swipe was converted into a Jamal Murray layup as the Nuggets went up by six. The Wizards had a chance to tie with about 12 seconds to go, but Thomas Bryant’s 3 glanced off the rim.

Denver’s bench outscored Washington’s 40-14.

The Nuggets (48-22) are tied with the Warriors for first in the West. They have a four-game cushion over Houston, the team in third, with a dozen games to go in their season. Their four-game road trip continues Friday against the New York Knicks and wraps up Sunday in Indiana.