The Denver Nuggets are showing the resilience of a championship team following Michael Malone's bombshell firing. After taking down the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games in round one, Nikola Jokic's squad stormed back for an upset road win over the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.

Charles Barkley pointed to Jokic's increased leadership when analyzing the Nuggets' playoff success amid their coaching change.

“Jokic is coaching right now. He is talking about 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. So it goes back, obviously the coach is important, but Joker is like, ‘No, no, no. This is my team. We're gonna keep winning.' Because he's the one constant, and it's great to watch, man.”

Jokic turned in another brilliant performance on Monday, posting 42 points, 22 rebounds and six assists on 15-of-29 shooting in 42 minutes. However, his vocal leadership caught the eyes of many viewers throughout the night.

Charles Barkley credits Nikola Jokic's coaching following Nuggets' win over Thunder

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) dribbles against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter during game one of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center.
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Jokic was very animated while delivering coaching points to his teammates during a timeout in the second quarter.

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While it's not out of character for Jokic to be a vocal leader for Denver, his urgency appears to have reached another level amid the team's late-season coaching change. That leadership had a positive effect on his team's resolve while trailing late in Game 1 on the road.

The Nuggets were in a nine-point hole with three minutes remaining on Monday. However, they closed the game on a 14-4 run to secure an improbable victory. Trailing by three with 10 seconds remaining, Denver fouled Chet Holmgren. The Thunder big man missed a pair of free throws before Russell Westbrook darted in transition and found Aaron Gordon for a game-winning three.

Jokic put together a masterful fourth quarter to will his team to victory. The three-time MVP scored 18 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field, 2-of-3 from three and 8-of-10 from the free-throw line in the final frame.

Gordon was also huge during the win, finishing with 22 points and 14 rebounds on 7-of-15 shooting. Jamal Murray added 21 points and six assists on 6-of-16 shooting, while Westbrook posted 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting in 30 minutes off the bench.

Despite their Game 1 victory, the Nuggets will have their work cut out for them if they hope to take down the Thunder. MVP-favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled from the field on Monday, posting 33 points on 12-of-26 shooting. Jalen Williams was far worse, finishing with 16 points on 5-of-20 shooting. Yet, Denver needed to catch several breaks to come away with the come-from-behind victory.

Jokic and Co. will be back in action against the Thunder on Wednesday night at Paycom Center.