Image Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Charles Barkley Calls Out NBA for ‘Unfair’ Treatment Towards Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets-Thunder semifinal series is currently tied 2-2.

Image Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

NBA analyst Charles Barkley called out the league for its treatment with the Denver Nuggets. The player-turned-pundit highlighted the schedule of semifinal series between the Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder, and called it ‘unfair’. His statement came after the Nuggets slumped to the Thunder in 92-87 in Game 4 on Sunday, M a y 11.

Barkley said, “I thought what the NBA did to them was unfair. Making them play late Friday night and then an early afternoon game. I thought that was unfair. I truly believe that.”

Notably, Game 3 between the Thunder and the Nuggets was scheduled on May 9 at 10 pm ET, and Game 4 was scheduled on May 11 at 3:30 pm ET. With less than 48 hours in-between, the teams didn’t get enough time to rest and recover, and headed into the Sunday-night fixture exhausted.

Charles Barkley: "I thought what the NBA did [to the Nuggets] was unfair. Making them play late Friday night, then an early afternoon… OKC [has more depth]… I don't think it's fair to blame everything on [Nikola Jokić], but he has not played well & I think he's wearing down." pic.twitter.com/qL96XM4WiD
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 12, 2025

However, as Barkley claimed that the Nuggets got less than 48 hours, Kenny Smith, present in the same show, said, “both teams had to do it.”

In fact, after the loss, Nuggets’ interim head coach David Adelman also addressed the issue. He said that both teams were tired after playing a late overtime game on Friday. While he didn’t blame scheduling for their loss, Adelman said, “I will say that I think both teams were very tired coming off an unbelievably physical overtime battle on a late Friday night.”

However, Adelman went on to credit the Thunder for making the final push. He commented, “To their credit, they were the ones to make the final run. We made mistakes late.”

Also Read: “Sometimes It’s Warranted, Sometimes It’s Not”- Tyrese Haliburton Opens Up on Being On Receiving End of Constant Criticism

He is Wearing Down- Charles Barkley on Nikola Jokic Amid Shooting Struggles Against Thunder

Hall of Famer, Charles Barkley, also highlighted Nikola Jokic’s shooting struggles in the last three games against the Thunder. While Barkley said that it is not right to blame the Joker for everything, he opined that the latter is ‘wearing down’.

The 11-time NBA All-Star said, “Denver has never addressed their backup center situation or their bench, I think that’s one of the things that hurt them last year. Because he (Jokic) gave out of gas last year against Rudy (Gobert) and Big KAT (Karl Anthony Towns).”

The 62-year-old added, “So I don’t think it’s fair to blame everything on the Joker, but he has not played well, and I think he’s wearing down.”

The Serbian center kicked off Round 2 with 42 points and 22 rebounds. While his rebound game remained intact as the series moved ahead, Jokic faced struggles in shooting. In the next three games, the three-time MVP came up with 17 points, 20 points, and 27 points, respectively.

The 30-year-old will aim to bounce back in terms of his shooting performance as the series moves to Game 5 on Tuesday, May 13.

Also Read: Indiana Pacers Set Several NBA Playoff Records After First-Half Explosion vs. Cavaliers in Game 4

Charles Barkley

Denver Nuggets

Nikola Jokic

Garima Ranawat

Garima is a sports writer with around two years of experience in Indian sports and a newfound interest in the NBA. Inspired by the leadership of cricketing legend MS Dhoni, she wishes to bring in newer perspectives to the NBA fanatics with her writing.