Isaiah J. Downing – Imagn Photographs
The Denver Nuggets have proven quite a lot of guts up to now within the 2025 NBA Playoffs. After firing head coach Michael Malone and common supervisor Calvin Sales space simply days earlier than the tip of the common season, they’ve picked themselves off of the mat and entered Sunday with a 2-1 lead over the heavily-favored Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder within the Western Convention Semifinals.
They misplaced on Sunday, nonetheless, fading down the stretch with a golden likelihood to go up 3-1, 92-87, in a slugfest. After the sport, NBA on TNT’s Charles Barkley proclaimed that the NBA scheduling of playoff video games was unfair for the Denver Nuggets.
The Nuggets have gained two stunners towards the Thunder, who have been the NBA’s greatest crew in the course of the common season at 68-14 this offseason. In Recreation 1, they rallied from down 7 within the remaining minute to win in regulation. Then, they made extra performs in additional time after one other late comeback down the stretch of Recreation 3 to offer them a 2-1 lead. After scoring simply eight factors within the 1st quarter and struggling down the stretch, blowing a seven-point 4th-quarter lead, they couldn’t prolong the lead. The Nuggets, not practically as deep because the Thunder and having performed a seven-game collection within the first spherical whereas the Thunder received a misplaced of relaxation after sweeping the Grizzlies, appeared drained.
On that notice, Barkley thinks it was a bit unfair that these two groups received the three:30PM ET recreation on Sunday, although they performed the late recreation Friday night time. Charles Barkley didn’t like that in any respect.
Charles Barkley: “I believed what the NBA did [to the Nuggets] was unfair. Making them play late Friday night time, then an early afternoon… OKC [has more depth]… I do not suppose it is truthful guilty every little thing on [Nikola Jokić], however he has not performed nicely & I feel he is carrying down.” pic.twitter.com/qL96XM4WiD
— Terrible Saying (@awfulannouncing) Could 12, 2025
Truthfully, his argument about depth shouldn’t matter. However, it was ridiculous that they needed to play on such a good turnaround. The NBA ought to have put the Nuggets-Thunder recreation at 8PM.
The 2 groups will play at 9:30 PM ET on Tuesday in Oklahoma Metropolis.
