Denver Nuggets: 3 crucial goals for their playoff run

Denver Nuggets playoff goals No. 1: Defend their home court

As the Nuggets finished with the third seed in the Western Conference, they were always going to have the home-court advantage in the first round. They need to make sure that they keep this advantage for at least the rest of this series.

They lost the advantage in Denver when they allowed the Trail Blazers to take the first game. They then won the second game at home before taking the home-court advantage back when they won the third game on Portland’s home floor.

Now that the series is locked up at two games apiece, if the Nuggets can defend their home court, they are going to make it through to the next round. Here is where it could become incredibly important to keep this advantage.

The series between the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers could depend on how the shoulder of Chris Paul holds up. If it does not hold up then there is a good chance for the seventh-seeded Lakers could progress.

If this happens, the Nuggets would then have the home-court advantage in their second-round matchup which may allow them to progress to the Western Conference finals. It all starts with defending their home court in this series.