Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard arrived as advertised. He just wasn’t Nikola Jokic.

Not even a flagrant foul to the face could slow Denver’s franchise center, who barged his way into 37 points in the Nuggets’ 121-113 victory against Portland on Monday night in the Pepsi Center at Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal series.

Game 2 is Wednesday night, when the Nuggets will try to win their fifth consecutive playoff game at the Pepsi Center.

Jamal Murray hit several clutch shots in the second half, finishing with 23 points, but it was his team-high eight assists that helped grease the crime ’s 50 shooting from the field. Paul Millsap added 19 points.

Lillard kept clawing before the end till Gary Harris obstructed his 3-point attempt with under two minutes remaining. Lillard finished with 39 points, while his sidekick, CJ McCollum, managed just 16 on 7-of-17 shooting. It was Harris who deserved credit up the Blazers’ second star.

Portland was with just under nine minutes left in the fourth quarter before a flurry of dunks and defensive stops helped stretch the lead. Below a chorus of “M-V-P” chants, Jokic conducted the crime and made sure the pillow was secure. He added nine rebounds and six assists to his impressive scoring tally.

After one demoralizing fourth-quarter foul, Portland coach Terry Stotts could throw up his hands .

The Blazers began to become unglued in the third quarter as Jokic worked his magic inside. First he drew back-to-back fouls, his size presenting an puzzle for Portland, and he bruised from the paint. Jokic scored 15 points in the third quarter alone, while Murray poured in seven. No basket was prettier, however, than a stunning Harris reverse layup to extend the lead.

Heading into Game 1, the Nuggets were convinced they could exploit Jokic in the article with Blazers center Enes Kanter suffering a separated shoulder in the game of the first round. Kanter was suspicious up but was ruthlessly efficient while on the ground.

“I think Joker&rsquo. I meanhe always has a matchup,” Murray said with a laugh at Monday&rsquo. “Yeah, Joker’s going to have a matchup. ”

Nuggets-Spurs series schedule

Game 1: Denver 121, Portland 113
Game 2: Portland at Denver, 7 p.m. Wednesday, TNT
Game 3: Denver at Portland, 8:30 p.m. Friday, ESPN
Game 4: Denver at Portland, 5 pm Sunday, TNT
*Game 5: Portland at Denver, 8:30 p.m. May 7, TNT
*Game 6: Denver at Portland, TBD May 9, ESPN
*Game 7: Portland at Denver, TBD May 12, TBD

* If necessary

Considering Jokic awakened the schemes San Antonio threw at him in the first round, Nuggets coach Michael Malone felt the Blazers could be at a disadvantage regardless of their plan.

“I don’t think you can give any player that is great a steady diet of one thing, & rdquo; Malone said. “If they would like to double, have at it. If you watched the San Antonio series closely, they stopped doubling him. People were picked by him apart. In Games 3, 4 and 5, we made 15, 15 and 14 3s. After that, you could tell ‘We’re going to play this man one-on-one,’ and he had 43 points. Good luck. Do whatever you want to do. ”

The Nuggets had a very quick turnaround after Saturday’s enthralling Game 7 win, and among Malone’s worries originated from maintaining their same energy. The Blazers removed Oklahoma City last Tuesday and had to wait before finding out their second-round opponent.

“Now it’s a matter of just going out there and getting that urgency up, the feelings of this match,” Malone said. “When you come off a Game 7, you can’t have any hangover. You have to have that sense of urgency you had in the first round. ”

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Denver Nuggets vs. Portland Trail Blazers: Keys to victory for Game 1

If the San Antonio series was a turtle race, the first half of Game 1 was the Kentucky Derby. Both teams did their best to induce a game that was downhill and relied heavily on the pick-and-roll. After a first quarter that was frenetic, the two offenses paced themselves and Denver took a 58-55 lead.

Millsap had a game-high 17 after two quarters with all of his production coming by the free-throw line in the paint. Jokic had 14 points despite different Blazers appearances, and Murray chipped with two 3-pointers in 10. Kanter had 14 points but provided little resistance against Jokic from the article.

On defense, Denver got burned in the line behind Lillard and McCollum&rsquo. They knocked down five of Portland seven triples and combined for 27 points in the first half.

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