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Charles Barkley Has Unique Praise for Nikola Jokic After Game 1

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jeremy Beren | Last updated May 6, 2025 11:27 AM ET

Just one game into their second-round playoff series, the Denver Nuggets have already secured what they came to Oklahoma City to get: home-court advantage.

Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets stunned Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder on Monday night, as Aaron Gordon sank a game-winning 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds left to deliver Denver a 121-119 upset win. The Nuggets can do no worse than a split in OKC with Games 3, 4 and 6 scheduled to be played in Denver.

The Nuggets have proven NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley wrong already during this playoff run, but the iconic power forward was ready to give Jokic his flowers after the three-time MVP led the way at the Paycom Center.

"He is taking control of that team"

Joker's leadership in Denver has Chuck impressed pic.twitter.com/Frxni2kZho
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 6, 2025

"Joker is coaching right now. He is taking control of that team,” Barkley said. “You've seen him be more animated and emotional. It's all happened in the last month. We've been covering this team for years, and The Joker, we're like, ‘He don't ever show emotions!' ... But in the last month, he has been doing that."

Jokic has taken his game to an even-higher level amid the Nuggets' internal issues, which led to the dismissals of head coach Mike Malone and general manager Calvin Booth last month.

On Monday, Jokic became the first player in NBA playoff history to record a stat line of 40-plus points, 20-plus rebounds, at least five assists and at least two blocks in a game. His historic performance helped Denver rally from a 14-point deficit -- and increased the chances that Denver can upset the team with the best regular-season record in the NBA.

"Obviously the coach is important, but Joker is like, ‘No, no, no. This is my team. We're gonna keep winning,'" Barkley said. "Because he's the one constant, and it's great to watch, man.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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