Torrey Craig of the Denver Nuggets dunks against the San Antonio Spurs in a 117-103 Nuggets win in game four of the first round of the NBA Western Conference playoffs on April 20, 2019. (Photo: Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
Sometimes a change is needed.
So it was for the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.
Saturday, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone inserted guard Torrey Craig into the starting lineup for game four of the their first round playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs. Craig turned out to be the catalyst in a huge 117-103 Nuggets win that tied the series at two games apiece.
The Nuggets snapped a 14-game road losing streak to the Spurs. Their last playoff win in San Antonio was on April 22, 2007.
Craig got the start in place of Will Barton and scored 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and hit 5-of-7 three-point attempts, all while adding eight rebounds.
He also drew the defensive assignment on Spurs guard Derrick White, who torched the Nuggets for a career-high 36 points in San Antonio's win in game three.
White only scored eight points in 28 minutes on Saturday.
Nikola Jokic led Denver with 29 points, 12 rebounds ad eight assists. Jamal Murray added 24 points and six assists.
Things did not look good early for the Nuggets. The Spurs bolted out to a 34-22 lead after one quarter but then the Nuggets buckled down. They outscored the Spurs 69-45 in the second and third quarters to build a double-digit lead.
Game five will be at Pepsi Center on Tuesday, April 23. Tip is at 7:30 p.m. mountain time.