Charles Barkley suggests crucial gameplan scuffle to "fatigued" Nikola Jokic and Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets' Game 5 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night highlighted one clear issue – Nikola Jokic and co. being fatigued. Following the game, Charles Barkley offered a gameplan to David Adelman and his coaching staff to help manage their players' workload to maximize their chances of winning the series.

Speaking on NBA on TNT, Barkley proposed staggering the minutes of Jokic and Jamal Murray to rest one of the two playmakers at all times.

“It has to be fatigue. Like everybody gets tired and I think he could break it up,” Barkley said. “Like let Joker get a break and let Jamal run the offense. Then take Jamal out, let the Joker run the offense.”

Soon after, Dwight Howard also stressed the importance of rest. Barkley’s co-panellist added that Denver could utilize their backup big men like DeAndre Jordan and Dario Saric to preserve Jokic’s energy for late-game situations.

The impact of fatigue was evident, particularly in the fourth quarter. Despite entering the final period with an 86-78 lead, the Nuggets appeared to have no gas in their tank down the stretch.

Nikola Jokic continued to compete, scoring 13 points on an efficient 4-for-6 shooting. However, his teammates couldn’t contribute significantly — managing just six points while shooting an abysmal 6.6%.

As a result, the Thunder outscored Denver 34-19 in the final frame to secure a 112-105 win, taking a 3-2 lead in the series.

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Nikola Jokic and teammates lead the playoffs in minutes played

No team in the league has had a more gruelling postseason than the Denver Nuggets. The Colorado side has logged the most games so far - surviving a seven-game series against the LA Clippers in the first round and now heading into Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Several Nuggets players lead the league in total minutes played. Jamal Murray tops the list with 501 minutes, followed closely by Nikola Jokic with 485. Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon rank third and fourth, having played 472 and 459 minutes, respectively.

Despite the heavy workload, Nikola Jokic dismissed the idea that fatigue has affected his performance.

"When I play, I don't think about that,” Jokic said after Game 4 on Sunday, via ESPN.

The Nuggets will return to action on Friday night in Colorado, getting just a single day of rest before the do-or-die Game 6.