The end of preseason came early for four of the Nuggets’ starters.

Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic made the trip to Oklahoma City but watched the Nuggets’ 94-91 loss Friday from the Paycom Center sidelines. Here are three takeaways from Denver’s preseason finale:

1. Nuggets coach David Adelman said health was his main priority for the rest of preseason after Tuesday’s win against the Bulls, and he played it safe and smart against the Thunder. The four starters returning in their roles from last season were protected, while Cam Johnson, the other starter, got a chance to develop chemistry with four reserves he could share the court with in a staggered lineup. Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., Peyton Watson and Jonas Valanciunas started alongside Johnson against a Thunder squad that was at full strength outside of Jalen Williams. The Nuggets trailed by one after the first quarter, took a 13-point lead to halftime and led by nine to start the fourth. Ousmane Dieng’s buzzer-beater gave the Thunder the victory after some brutal minutes from Denver’s end of the bench.

2. Peyton Watson mostly played like he’s ready to get paid or make Denver pay for not offering a contract extension. Watson continued to show his growth as an on-ball creator, confidently knocked down a pull-up 3 and threw down a couple of impressive dunks in his 13-point first half. He didn’t play much of the second half and finished with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists. The only downside was six turnovers in 25 minutes of playing time. The Nuggets have until Monday afternoon to ink Watson and Christian Braun to extensions. If the deadline passes without a deal, the duo will enter restricted free agency this summer. That could be a dangerous gamble, especially if Watson’s development continues in his fourth NBA season.

3. If the Nuggets could pick one thing to see in the final game of the preseason, it probably would’ve been the end of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Cam Johnson’s collective shooting slumps, and that’s exactly what they got. Hardaway continued to aggressively look for his 3 and was rewarded with a 4-for-6 night from deep and finished with 13 points. Johnson made multiple 3s for a second consecutive game and finished his night with nine points, six rebounds and four assists. With those two finding a rhythm in Denver’s fifth and final preseason game, it looks like all systems go ahead of Thursday’s regular-season opener at Golden State.