The Portland Trail Blazers ran into a juggernaut on Friday night as Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets rolled into Portland and cruised to a 127-112 win at Moda Center.

Jokic dominated the Blazers on the second night of a back-to-back, finishing with a 29 point, 15 rebound, 14 assist triple-double.

After the game, Blazers coach Chauncey Billups talked about the impossibility of trying to gameplan against Jokic:

Said the Blazers coach, “There’s certain players in the league, you know, that it doesn’t matter what coverage you play. He’s just too good. He can figure you out, and there’s not a coverage that he’s never seen.

“You can put two on him if you want, but you’re giving up a three (pointer), you’re giving up a lob, giving up a layup to another player. So, you just know you’re going into the game saying ‘we’re going to try several things.’ There’s a good chance that none of them work. It is what it is.”

While the Blazers didn’t play poorly, they were clearly outmatched by a Nuggets team that many expect to return to the NBA Finals this season.

Portland attempted multiple approaches with Jokic, such as fronting and occasionally sending help, but the standout center found cutters and 3-point shooters with ease. By repeatedly driving the ball up the court and starting the offense, he even made it impossible for the Blazers to change their defensive strategies.