NUGGETS: A long wait for Denver before opening regular season.

After Tuesday’s preseason finale against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Nuggets coach Michael Malone had one request for his players.

Don’t show up for work Wednesday. Malone had just watched jumper after jumper uncharacteristically clank off the front of the rim in a 96-86 loss. He sat his starters in the fourth quarter, rather than closing the game with them like he had originally considered. And now the Nuggets can take advantage of a week-long break before Wednesday’s season opener at Utah.

“I’ve probably been working these guys a little bit too hard,” Malone said. “When you’re missing all these shots short, that means you have no legs. I think our legs are gone, because it’s been a pretty demanding training camp and preseason.

“These guys have been putting in hours upon hours. It’s a great thing, but also sometimes you have to protect them from themselves.”

The extended break is a new quirk in the NBA calendar. The Nuggets played just five preseason games, compared to eight last season. The 2017-18 regular season begins a week to week-and-a-half earlier than in recent seasons, eliminating stretches of four games in five nights and reducing the number of back-to-back contests.

Before Tuesday’s preseason finale, Thunder coach Billy Donovan said the extended break doesn’t exactly help players establish rhythm heading into the regular season. Malone, however, believes eight preseason games is “way too many” because he’s no longer introducing a new culture and strategy.

But the Nuggets still have work to do after their day of rest.

Rosters must be reduced to 15 players by Monday. Key personnel decisions loom for Malone on how to distribute the starting and backup point guard minutes between Jamal Murray, Jameer Nelson and Emmanuel Mudiay, along with whether Kenneth Faried or Trey Lyles will be Paul Millsap’s primary backup at power forward.

The Nuggets also must clean up teamwide shortcomings that consistently popped up during the preseason.

Denver’s suspect defense is currently 24th in the NBA in overall rating (102.9) during the preseason and 29th in opponent points in the paint (47.2 per game). The Nuggets averaged 18.4 turnovers per game, more than the 15 they gave away last season. They also regressed on the glass, ranking 25th in rebounding percentage (47.3) and 19th in total rebounds (42.2 per game) after finishing second in that category a season ago (46.4).

“We have a really nice period that we can really get better,” center Nikola Jokic said.

That started immediately for Murray, who emerged in the Nuggets locker room about an hour after the Thunder game.

He had already lifted weights and received medical treatment. And after shooting 2for-8 from the field, he predicted he would be back on the court for some solo work before Thursday’s practice.

“(Malone) can’t keep me out,” Murray said with a smirk.