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The Warriors want nothing more from this regular season than to remain atop the Western Conference and own home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

With 19 games remaining and a seven-game lead over the second-place Memphis Grizzlies, there is almost no chance the Warriors will tumble from their perch.

Which is why the decision by Warriors coach Steve Kerr to sit four of his top six players Friday night at Denver is, under the circumstances, entirely rational and absolutely simple – and is going to happen a few more times before the regular season ends April 15.

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Insofar as Kerr occasionally mentions finding rest for center Andrew Bogut and reserve forward Andre Iguodala, I asked the coach this week if that would apply to the current stretch, in which the Warriors play five games in seven nights.

"Yeah, and maybe beyond that," he said. "We have to see. We are in a pretty tough part of the season. Our schedule calms down quite a bit at the end, where we have more (days) off in between games. But we may take a game or two and rest some other guys as well."

Kerr's bench will get longer before it gets shorter, which is the only way to play it if an NBA Championship is the goal.

Several players who have been used sparingly will break a sweat. David Lee, who has played once in the past four games, will start at Denver. So will Justin Holiday. Festus Ezeli, who has played 68 minutes over the past six weeks, will get more action. So will Brandon Rush, who has played 56 minutes since New Year's Day.

"I'm planning on playing Festus. I'm planning on playing David," Kerr said. "Matchups will dictate who I play. I want to get Justin and Brandon out there as well. I think I will, coming up here."

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The Warriors this month play 18 games – including 15 in the first 24 days – their heaviest load in any month this season. They play six back-to-back sets, after no more than four such instances in the previous four months.

That's why this month is the appropriate time to steal a breather whenever possible.

They conclude the season by playing eight games in 15 days in April, with the last four games at Oracle Arena.

That's the appropriate time for adjustments and fine-tuning, with the playoffs beginning the weekend of April 18-19.

Meanwhile, the Warriors' magic number to clinch the top seed is 12. Any combination of Warriors wins and Grizzlies losses equaling 12 means the road to the NBA Finals goes through Oracle.

If the Warriors (51-12) go 12-7 over the final 19, it doesn't matter what Memphis (45-20) or any other Western Conference team does. For a team that has lost no more than three games in any month, it's a fabulous position in which to be.