The Denver Nuggets will likely get home court advantage at least in the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs. However, Nuggets coach Michael Malone is not taking any chances in their remaining games this season.

While other playoff teams are expected to rest or limit the minutes of their key players in their upcoming games, Malone is not thinking of the same thing. According to Chris Dempsey of Nuggets.com, the veteran coach is not planning to sit out players until they officially clinch home court in the opening round.

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The Nuggets, who have surprised a lot of fans and analysts this season, currently hold a 51-26 record, which is good for second in the stacked Western Conference. While it is still possible for them to finish on top of the West, their recent defeats to the Washington Wizards and Golden State Warriors hurt their chances.

However, all is not lost for them, as finishing second in the West would give them home court advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Two more wins will assure them of a top four finish, and it might be enough to clinch second seed as well depending on the remaining games of the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers.

Denver is 1.5 games ahead of the 50-28 Rockets, and two games ahead of the 49-28 Trail Blazers. The Nuggets will look to solidify their grip on the second spot in the West when they collide with the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday at the Pepsi Center. They will face Portland twice, Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves in their last four games.