Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone is not one for trickery. With his team two games back of the Golden State Warriors for the top seed in the Western Conference and also a game and a half ahead of the Houston Rockets for the second spot, Malone was asked whether or not he is the type to save some offensive sets for the playoffs.

His response? Just about the kind of blunt answer you would expect from a fiery head coach such as Malone:

Indeed, the Nuggets need to close the season on a high note. Denver missed a crucial opportunity to gain ground when they lost at home against the Washington Wizards on Sunday.

Denver closes with a home and away set against the Portland Trail Blazers, as well as matchups with the San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Blazers, Jazz and Spurs are all jockeying for playoff position, so Denver cannot afford to hold anything back as they continue to chase a top two seed in the conference.

Although Denver won 46 games last season, the development of Jamal Murray as well as the MVP-caliber play of Nikola Jokic continue to take this team to new heights.

Much of Denver's success stems from their unselfishness. The Nuggets rank second in assist percentage (65.3), which has helped to make up for their middling shooting percentages .

Even though it may be easy to characterize the Nuggets as a team that excels at home, very few teams in the NBA have had as much success on the road as they have at home.

In fact, the Warriors, Bucks and Raptors are the only three teams with more than 22 wins on the road.